This Time Around
by sweasley
Summary: There's going to be a Potter/Weasley wedding, much to the delight of all. However, exes Ron and Hermione now find themselves being drawn back together given the occasion. Wanting to fix their damaged friendship, they may get more than they bargained for
1. Big Decisions

_Disclaimer: If you recognize someone, they belong to JKR. The others are all creations of mine to fill the gaps. :) Plus, any similarities are accidental and completely unintentional._

**Full Summary: It's time for a Potter/Weasley wedding, much to the delight of family and friends. However, exes Ron and Hermione find themselves now being drawn back together given the impending occasion. Wanting more than anything to fix their damaged friendship, they may get more than they bargained for once forced to confront each other again.**

* * *

**May 2003**

"A black dragon, eh?" asked Harry Potter as he observed five-year-old Teddy Lupin, who was currently coloring vigorously on the floor of his living room. "Why black?"

"Why not?" Teddy asked, glancing up at Harry.

"Fair enough," Harry said with a small smile before he ruffled the boy's now black hair. Seconds earlier, it had been a shade of sandy brown, inherited from his father, but young Teddy was working on his colors as of late, and had the tendency to change his hair color to whatever color he happened to be thinking about at the moment. The gift of being able to change his appearance at will was something he had inherited from his mother, but it was still something he was learning to control. Usually, he changed things without realizing he had done it.

The fumbling sound of a key in the door made both Harry and Teddy turn towards the entrance.

"Is Ginny back?" Teddy asked excitedly.

"I sure hope so," Harry said before Teddy jumped up and ran for the doorway, just as it opened to reveal a small woman with bright red hair and a tired expression on her face.

"Did you get it, Ginny!?" Teddy asked, jumping up and down and blocking her entrance as though looking for something. She struggled around him, her hands full of bags.

"Hey, hey," Harry said, appearing behind Teddy and helping to lift some of the packages out of Ginny's hands. "How about we wait until she gets inside and settled? Here Ted, take these to the kitchen."

Teddy made a face, but did as he was told.

"Thanks," Ginny said once Harry had leaned in to kiss her hello. "I could barely get my wand out to Apparate home."

"Long day?" he asked as he put her large Quidditch duffle bag into the hall closet.

"We've got a new Chaser," she said, taking off her cloak. "She's got an attitude problem, but she's a fantastic flyer. It was just a long day of dealing with that."

"I read about her in the _Prophet_," Harry said as he and Ginny followed Teddy to the kitchen. "Calista something…"

"Cornwall," she said with a glance at Teddy, who was still looking at her expectantly. "I like your hair, Ted. You and Harry could almost be twins."

"Really?" Ted asked. He turned and caught a glimpse of his reflection in a nearby window and began absently examining his hair. He tried to flatten the front down more like the way Harry wore it.

"Absolutely," she said, throwing Harry a smile before reaching into a small case. "Oh, and you'll never believe who happened to stop by practice today."

Teddy immediately rounded on her.

"Who's that?" Harry asked as he watched Teddy's face, pretending to be unaware of where Ginny was going with this.

"I don't know if you've ever heard of him," she said, glancing at Harry before pulling out a photograph with the image of a burly man flying about on a broom. "He plays keeper for the Wimbourne Wasps--"

"YOU GOT IT!" Teddy yelled, rushing to take the photograph from Ginny. "YOU REALLY GOT IT!"

"Of course I did," she said as she and Harry happily observed Teddy's reaction. "He signed it just there," she pointed to a spot on the photo, "and he was very pleasent. He said he'd love to meet you, Teddy."

"Kensworth Judge said that about me?" Teddy asked in an awestruck tone.

"Well, after I told him how you were such a huge fan, and how wonderful a young man you are, he--"

"When can I meet him!?" Teddy asked without skipping a beat. He rounded on Harry.

"We'll work that out," Harry said once he the photo from Teddy and began examining it for himself. "He really was a nice guy, then?"

"Nicer than he is on the pitch," Ginny said. "I don't think I'll ever forgive him for that flagrant foul on Mulberry two years ago, but he was very sweet in person. He said he'd also love the opportunity to meet you. He tried to get me to set up a meeting."

Harry looked at Ginny with his eyebrow raised as he handed Teddy back his photo.

"I know." She quickly rubbed Harry's back. "I made no promises. Although," she looked at Teddy who was happily staring at his photo with a large grin on his face, oblivious to the fact that he was being watched, "it may make someone very happy if you were to."

"You're the all-star Quidditch player," Harry said with a mock groan. "You should have enough pull as it is."

"I'm not Harry Potter," she said as she walked over to the sacks of groceries to put things away. "Anyway, how was your day?"

"Dull," he said as he stood and joined her in putting away groceries. "Just the way I like it."

"That's a nice change after last week, what with all those wankers up in York with the poisons."

"Tell me about it," he mumbled. "Oh, Robards says Kingsley wants me specifically to go to Paris next week. Just for a few days." He glanced apprehensively at her and, just as he had suspected, her eyes shot immediately to his.

"Which days?" she asked.

He sighed. "Tuesday through Sunday."

Ginny's face fell but Harry spoke before she could. "I know, I know, Saturday after your match we were supposed to celebrate our anniversary, and we will. Just a day late…Or perhaps, you could come to Paris with me for a couple days?"

"With the Puddlemere game on Saturday?" she said. "You know I can't. I can't afford to miss practice."

He shrugged. "I know. It was worth a shot."

"You know I want to go," she said as she casually leaned against the counter and glanced at Teddy.

"Well," he said, folding his arms and leaning next to her. "Look at it this way. On Saturday, you'll beat Puddlemere and it'll even be more of a happy occasion to celebrate."

Ginny chuckled slightly. "Ever the optimist, Harry."

"Me?" He let out a laugh of disbelief. "You will beat Puddlemere." He glanced at Teddy. "That's a given. Right, Teddy?"

"Puddlemere is rubbish," Teddy said, still not looking up from his photo. "Holyhead will crush them."

"Well, if you two experts say so." She grinned before sighing heavily. Harry could sense that she was clearly nervous about the impending match next weekend, but seemed to shake off her apprehension before turning back to the groceries. "Perhaps we should decide what's for dinner, then?"

"Don't give Teddy the option," Harry joked. "He'd eat fish and chips for the rest of time if it was up to him."

"Are we having fish and chips?" Teddy asked.

"How about pasta with the red sauce?" Ginny asked Teddy. "Your grandmother said you love that, Teddy."

Teddy made a curious face, as if contemplating whether or not he should agree to this. Ginny nudged Harry and shot him an knowing look.

"It sounds good to me," Harry encouraged.

Teddy smiled. "Me too, then!"

"Me too," Ginny agreed, throwing Harry a smile.

"Teddy," Harry said, "why don't you go wash up and make sure that picture is put somewhere where you won't forget it?"

"Okay." He stood and delicately, as if handling a dangerous substance, picked up his photo and took it back into the other room.

"Are you going to meet up with Ron while you're in Paris?" Ginny asked as she tapped her wand to an empty cauldron and watched as it began to fill with water.

"Yeah, I want to see his new place and how he's settling in."

"I can't believe he went to Paris."

"It's only for a few months," he said. "It'll be good for him to continue his training with the French Aurors. He'll learn different techniques."

"More like a year," she mumbled. "And you never had to go to Paris."

"I would have," he said, "but for some reason, my application kept getting rejected."

She laughed. "By Kingsley?"

"Who else?"

"Oh, I wonder why," she teased. "They were probably afraid that the French would try to woo you away or make a spectacle out of you. Plus, it's not as if you need specialized training, Harry. I mean, you were already at the top of your game before you joined the department."

"And Ron does?"

"Ron's only joined the Aurors a few months ago," she said. "And wasn't it you who told me that in order to be accepted into foreign training, you had to put in at least a year with the department?"

"Well, yeah."

"Then there you go. Obviously people are recognizing him as being the same Ron Weasley who helped you bring down Voldemort. They're not exactly starting him at the bottom level, are they? Give him a few years of this sort of stuff and before you know it, you two will be back to your old partners in crime ways."

"Weren't you the one just complaining that he had to go to Paris?" Harry asked as he watched her tap her wand to the cauldron again. The water instantly boiled.

"Well," she said as she dropped a box of pasta inside of the hot water, "I just don't see why he had to run off to Paris. I mean, he didn't need to go into foreign training."

"Its good experience," he said. "Plus, he needed the break after everything that's happened over the few months with Her..." He hesitated. Both he and Ginny exchanged silence looks, seeing as Teddy had just walked back into the room.

Harry took the moment to go to the nearest cupboard and collect the place settings for dinner. He handed them off to Teddy with the instructions to set the table before he returned to watch what Ginny was doing. They both silently watched as the pasta boiled in the cauldron below, their minds elsewhere.

"Speaking of Hermione," Harry said abruptly, "she said she's coming to the match tomorrow. You can get two extra tickets still, right?"

"It shouldn't be a problem," Ginny said. "Wait, two tickets? You already have one. Why would you need two?"

"It's not for me. It's for Martin."

"Martin?" she asked as she stopped stirring the pasta and looked at him. "Who's Martin?"

Harry shrugged and pursed his lips. "I don't know. I haven't met him yet."

"Is she…?" She made a face. "I mean, are they...?"

"I don't know. She claims they're just friends."

"Oh, boy…" she said heavily.

"I know. Seems a bit quick to jump back into something new, doesn't it?"

Ginny shrugged. "We say that because we both love Ron. It has been a couple of months. If it had been anyone else, we'd be happy she was moving on." She glanced at him. "The breakup was really hard on the both of them, you know? Just because Hermione puts on a stronger front--"

"Up until a few months ago, their relationship had been as long as ours," he interrupted. "And longer if you count the years of build up to it. I mean, if we just split up tomorrow, would you be able to just--?"

"No," she said, returning the interruption and giving him a smile that only he ever got to see, "but this isn't about us. It's about them. Hermione says she and this Martin character are friends and that's all they very well may be."

"Now who's being the optimist?" Harry asked, rolling his eyes. "I'm sure the three of us will have an absolutely amazing time tomorrow."

"Don't be too hard on him," she said, although she didn't sound like she was quite sure she meant it. "It's not his fault after all."

"Ron's my best friend."

"And Hermione is…?"

"Obviously she is, too," he said before pausing for a long moment. He seemed as if he wanted to say something more but thought better of it. Instead, he watched as Ginny placed the pasta into the sauce pan.

"And you know what the worst part about it is?" he said.

"Other than the obvious?" she asked.

"The team you're playing tomorrow."

"The Chudley Canons?" she asked before a look of realization appeared across her face. "Ohhhh…"

"Right," he said as Harry began spooning Teddy out a portion of pasta.

"She's not doing it on purpose, Harry. You have to know that."

"I don't think she is, either," he placed the plate down in front of Teddy, "but still, how exactly am I going to be able to watch a Canons game without bringing up--"

"Ron…" she said, finishing his sentence for him.

"The Canons are even more rubbish than Puddlemere," Teddy added suddenly as he slurped up a piece of pasta and smiled at the noise it made.

* * *

"The match is at five," Ginny said the following morning as she ran about the living room of their flat trying to make sure she had everything she needed. "You'll have to get there by at least four to get your tickets or else they'll sell them."

Harry chuckled. "I think I've done this a time or two."

"I know." She quickly blushed upon realizing how silly she must be sounding. Harry had realized over the years that Ginny had a tendency to ramble when she felt rushed, and that she always felt rushed before a match. "Just making sure."

"You'll be great," he said once he managed to stop her from rushing about the room for a second to kiss her. "I mean," he made an amused face, "it's the Canons, Gin. They're crap."

She laughed as she gave the room one last look. "I think that's everything. I'll see you after the match, same place as always?"

"Sure thing. Hey, I'll bring Martin!"

"Be nice," she said, grabbing her bag and heading towards the door. "I love you."

"I love you, too," he said before she disappeared outside. He sighed and glanced around the room of the flat that they shared. It was more cluttered than it usually was, but that was always the result of a visit from Teddy. He couldn't help but think about how much he enjoyed their little flat as he plopped himself down on the sofa.

Upon leaving Hogwarts, he had contemplated moving to Grimmauld Place, but he just couldn't bear it. Not with all of the memories of Sirius and the Order that still dwelled there. He still owned the property of course, and visited from time to time, but he had started visiting less and less since Kreacher had passed away two years ago. That wasn't to say he didn't enjoy going there when he needed a quiet place to think, or a spot to be alone, though. Only a handful of people even knew how to find him there, and he liked the sense of escape from the world.

A quiet place to think was exactly what he needed at that moment as he ran over the days events in his head for the one hundredth time. On top of meeting Hermione's new "friend"--that he wasn't sure he was going to like no matter how nice he was--he had only one other thing on his mind. The fact that he was about to take the first step--a huge step--towards an event that would change his life.

He couldn't help but think that of all people in this world, he should be used to this sort of thing. This was different, though. This was something that he knew would ultimately be one of the best decisions he'd ever made. He hadn't had to make a huge life changing choice like this since he was seventeen and, even then, those decisions could have, and should have, potentially killed him. In comparison, this was one of the easiest things he'd ever have to do.

His train of thought was abruptly interrupted by a knock at the door. He pointed his wand at the door and mumbled "_Alohamora_" before yelling, "It's open!"

"You don't actually leave your door unlocked do you?" came the all too familiar voice of Hermione Granger as she entered the room.

"I opened it from here,"Harry said almost proudly. He thought it was quite the talent to exhibit his magical prowess while lying lazily on the sofa.

"Amazing," she said with a sarcastic smile before she sat herself down across from him. "Did Ginny leave already?"

"You just missed her," he said without moving from his lying position.

"It's probably better that way. Otherwise, she'll wonder why I'm six hours early for her match."

"She would start to ask questions," Harry said, looking aimlessly up at the ceiling.

"So, are you ready?" she asked. "Grab your coat, it's actually chilly out."

Harry didn't move, he just continued to stare up at the ceiling.

"You're not having second thoughts, are you?" she asked.

He didn't answer her right away. It wasn't until he glanced at her and realized she'd asked him a question that he mumbled, "What? Second thoughts about proposing? No, I know that's what I want to do."

"So? What's the matter, Harry?"

"It's just a lot to take in," he said as he finally sat himself up. "Ring shopping and all that."

"And that's why I'm here," she said. "To keep you from getting overwhelmed."

"Obviously," he said with a lazy smile as he stood. He took a deep breath.

Hermione picked up a box of crayons from the floor. "Was Teddy here last night?"

"No, those are mine," he joked.

Hermione gave him a reproachful look.

"He was here last night," he said as he walked over to the closet where he would find his cloak. "Guess what? Ginny managed to get him that autograph of Kensworth Judge."

"Is that a Quidditch player?"

Harry made a face. "He's like the best Keeper in ages, Hermione. Teddy's mad about him."

"Teddy has access to an entire Quidditch team through Ginny, and he's picking favorites from random players on other teams?"

"Yeah, but Holyhead is an all girls team," he said obviously.

Hermione cocked her eyebrow at him.

"That's what Teddy says," he added quickly, realizing the lecture he was narrowly avoiding, "not me. Anyway, Teddy loves Holyhead, and as he's told us numerous times that _after _Ginny, Kensworth is his favorite player."

Hermione grinned as she stood. "So, this Kensworth bloke is obviously his favorite?"

"I mean, Ginny's amazing of course," Harry said as he pulled his coat on, "but Judge is sick. An absolutely flawless player. Even Ginny says so."

"It's still nice of Teddy to say he only likes him second best, though," she said as Harry grabbed the front door and lurched it open. "I'm sure once he's older, he'll realize that girls can be just as good as boys at things, and that they're worthy of equal admiration."

Harry squinted and the morning sun caught his eyes. "I don't doubt it," he said quickly, suddenly feeling the urge to flip the conversation into another direction. "He's such a good kid and growing so fast too. I just can't get over it."

"I know. Every time I see him he's grown like a weed."

"He looks just like Remus," Harry said. "I mean, when he lets his natural appearance through."

"Has he got a handle on his morphing yet?"

"Not really. I mean he can change his hair color when he likes, but it also changes when he doesn't mean to."

"I'll have to come over one of the next times he's over," Hermione said in an exhausted tone. "It's been weeks since I've seen him, what with work being so hectic."

"He'd really like that," Harry said once they turned down a side street.

"So, do you have any idea where you want to start?" Hermione asked, glancing up and down a busy Muggle shopping district.

"No clue. I've never done this before."

"I should hope not," she said with a small smile. "And if you had, I would have hoped you would have told me!"

Harry laughed.

"Did you plan out how exactly you were going to propose? I knew you had an idea the last time we talked."

"I laid the seed," he said as they stopped to let several cars pass before crossing the street. "I told her Kingsley wants me in Paris until Sunday, when I'll easily be back on Friday. I figured I'd do it after the match. Puddlemere's a big one for her and spirits will be high when they win."

"And if they lose?"

Harry sighed. "I haven't thought that far ahead."

"For your sake," she smiled, "I hope they win."

"Me too," he said as he narrowly avoided a pudgy Muggle man whose hands were full of parcels.

"So, you're going to Paris?" Hermione asked after a few minutes of window shopping.

Harry glanced at her. He had an idea of where this conversation may be going. "Yeah, Kingsley's sending me down there for a couple days of observation of the Aurors we sent down there a few weeks ago."

"Oh," she said trying to sound casual. "So you'll probably run into--" She stopped just short of finishing her sentence.

"Ron?" he said bluntly. "Yeah, I plan on it." He stood there and watched her face for a reaction. Hermione and Ron could play this game of avoiding mentioning the other all they wanted, but he wasn't going to. He was tired of it.

"That should be fun," she said absently while she examined a nearby shop window with sudden interest.

"I hope so," Harry said. "I'm sort of happy to get the chance to tell him in person that I'm proposing to his sister."

"Yes," she said in the same absent tone as before. "That's probably good."

Harry sighed. This was obviously something Hermione didn't want to talk about, yet she had been the one to bring it up. It was something both she and Ron frequently did to him. They both refused to talk to each other, but then relied on Harry to fill them in on what the other was up to. When he did that however, they both suddenly acted as if they never asked in the first place. He certainly wasn't in the mood to push it any further than necessary today.

"Hey, do you think you do me a favor?" Harry asked.

"Maybe…" she said rather quickly. Harry could tell she sensed it had something to do with Ron.

"I needed a place to stay when I get back on Friday," he began, "so, I'm staying with Andromeda and Teddy."

"You could have stayed with me."

"Ah, but that's where the favor comes in," he said. "On Friday, I want to swing by the Burrow for a bit. I want to talk to Arthur and Molly."

Hermione smiled.

"So," he continued, trying to not let Hermione get giggly on him, "I would need someone to distract Ginny from randomly swinging by her folks' house on Friday night."

"I see."

"Maybe you could grab dinner with her after work? She'll have practice until about six."

"Sure. I'll do whatever it takes to help."

"Could you ask her to marry me, then?" he asked. "It'd save me a lot of time and nerves."

She laughed. "I'm not that helpful, Harry."

* * *

Days later, Harry found himself in the streets of Paris scanning address after address on the various buildings as he walked down a narrow street in the downtown area. He knew he was in the right place, yet felt completely turned around. He looked at the sheet of parchment in his hand once more.

"Where the hell is 511?" he said out loud to himself. He barely had time to process his thought when someone from behind him grabbed his shoulders and shook him excitedly. He had just managed to get his hand on his wand, and was seconds away from pulling it out, when he rounded on the person in question. He immediately let his hand fall back to his side. "I almost cursed you," he said.

"I would expect nothing less," Ron said with a wide smile. "How are you, mate?"

"Lost. Your directions are shit."

"You're on the wrong side of the street, idiot."

"I am not…" Harry muttered before glancing across the busy street to where he spotted the number 511. "Oh."

"I was sitting over there when I saw you," Ron continued, taking several steps across the street towards a small café. "Come on, I told the waitress that I'd be right back. I don't want them sending the police after me. How was your trip?"

"Eh," he said as he sat down at the table across from where Ron had sat himself. "You know how it is. What are you drinking?"

"Not really sure, but it's good," he said, gesturing towards a beer on the table just as the waitress appeared.

"Que buvez-vous?" she asked.

Harry stared at her blankly. He threw Ron a helpless look in the hopes that he would help him translate.

"She wants to know what you want to drink," Ron said. "At least, I think that's what she asked."

Harry pointed at Ron's drink, hoping the message would be conveyed, seeing as he knew little French. The waitress sighed, but seemingly understood before she walked away. Ron and Harry exchanged smiles.

"I'm just as bad," Ron said. "Actually, I keep coming to this place so that I don't really have to deal with not knowing how to order elsewhere. Here, they all just know. In fact, I originally just pointed to something on the menu and I've been having the same thing since."

Harry laughed. "You live in France and you still haven't figured out the little things like that?"

"Fleur tried to teach me a whole load of French before I got here," he said, brushing his hair out of his face, "but I don't know how much I picked up. I can understand some of it pretty well, but speaking it..." He rolled his eyes. "I can say 'thank you,' 'you're welcome,' and 'where is the loo?'"

Harry laughed again as the familiar feeling of being with his best mate overcame him. It was the thing he missed most now that Ron was living in Paris.

"Everyone I work with understands English loads better than I understand French," Ron continued. "They're being really patient with me and Rooney as we adapt to everything."

"That's good to hear," Harry said as the waitress returned and placed his drink down in front of him. "Seeing as that's why I'm here. To see how you're all adapting."

"I was excited to hear it was you coming. We'll have some fun over the next few days."

"We sure will," Harry said, glancing around the busy street. "So, how is life here, Ron?"

"Different," he said, looking around the street himself. "But in a good way, you know? I miss a lot of the things from home." He took a long pause. "Mainly the food." He paused again." And, you know, my family and friends obviously."

Harry smirked. "I'm second to food?"

"Actually third," he joked. "If you don't lump family and friends together as one thing."

"Oh, my mistake," he said as he took a swig of his beer.

"Work's great though," Ron continued. "It's really cool to see how they handle things down here. I see what you meant now. About how coming here would make me a more well rounded Auror."

"Well, Kingsley's the one who said that, I was just relaying the message."

"Either way," he said as he stretched his arms out and yawned. "So, how is everyone? Mum writes me once a week and lets me know how she and dad are. Plus she's always adding stories of how the nieces and nephew are growing, so no need to keep me updated on any of that." He cracked his knuckles. "I mean, I just saw them a month ago, how much can they grow?"

"You'd be surprised," Harry said. "Teddy seems to grow every time I see him."

"I can imagine. I have a feeling that kid will be tall. His dad and mum were pretty tall."

Harry smiled as he thought of Ted, and was suddenly reminded of how excited he'd gotten over his autographed photograph the last time he'd seen him. He glanced at Ron. "You'll appreciate this. Ginny managed to get him a Judge autographed photo the other day, right? You should have seen his face light up."

Ron's jaw dropped. "You're joking! He got Judge's autograph? Lucky kid! Hell, I want one!"

"I know!" Harry laughed. "Teddy was thrilled. I told the same story to Hermione and she just didn't get how big this was for him…"He trailed off as the excitement on Ron's face suddenly disappeared. Harry suddenly realized what he had said. "So, uh, yeah," he continued with an awkward cough, "he was really excited about it."

"He's a lucky kid," Ron said, trying to pretend that he hadn't been fazed by the mention of Hermione's name. "Glad to hear he's doing well. How's Andromeda doing?"

"Good. She starting to sort of date again, so we've been watching Teddy more and more."

"Really?"

"Yeah. We reckon it's good for her. She's spent the last five years cooped up with Teddy, with just him and the visitors as company, it's got to be a little draining after awhile. I mean, this one guy I've seen around lately seems pretty good. He's nice to Teddy, which is really all I want from him."

"Weird."

"It's healthy to move on," Harry said. He didn't immediately realize that those words had all but been his mantra to Ron over the last few months.

"Yeah, so I've been told," he said with a small smile.

Harry watched his face, and suddenly worried about the conversation veering back towards Hermione again. He assumed that now was as good a time as any to tell Ron about his proposal. "I'm actually going to stay with Andromeda and Teddy on Friday when I get back," he said, easing his way into the conversation.

"Why's that? You and Ginny didn't get into a fight, did you?"

"No, nothing like that," he said, taking a deep breath. "I just don't want Ginny to know I'm back until Saturday."

Ron face was suddenly hard to decipher. He looked confused, but at the same time, he looked worried that he was going to hear something he didn't want to hear, as if Harry was planning to break up with Ginny or was fooling around on her behind her back. He opened his mouth slowly to say something, but Harry spoke before he could.

"I want to surprise her," he continued, "after her game on Saturday. You know the one against Puddlemere?"

"Yeah. That's a huge game for them."

"Right," he said as he suddenly felt his heart beating rapidly in his chest. Telling Ron he wanted to marry his sister almost seemed harder than the thought of asking Ginny herself.

"Well, it's also around our five year anniversary…"

"Has it been five years already?" Ron asked thoughtfully. "Wait, is this counting the first time you two dated?"

"No."

"So, you're planning a big surprise for your anniversary, then?" he said with a tone of relief in his voice. "That's great."

"It's definitely big," Harry said before he took a long swig of his beer and drained his glass.

"What is it?"

Harry stared hard at Ron for a long second before taking a deep breath. "Ron, I'm going to ask your sister to marry me."

Ron stared at him for a moment before his eyes went wide. His mouth gaped briefly before he suddenly just let out a celebratory laugh. "Seriously?!"

"Seriously."

"Harry!" he said. "I don't even know what to say. I mean, I guess we all assumed it would happen eventually, but to actually hear it..." He smiled. "Congrats mate." At that very moment, their waitress passed by the table and Ron immediately made a gesture for her to stop. "Two more," he said holding up two fingers and gesturing to their empty glasses. "On me of course," he added to Harry. "We have to toast to this."

"She hasn't said yes yet," Harry said almost sheepishly.

"She will," Ron said as he crossed his arms in front of his chest and continued to smile. "She's loved you for ages now." He laughed again. "Wow, Harry."

"I know. I wanted to tell you in person. You know, so you wouldn't have to read it in a letter from your mum."

"I appreciate that," he managed to stammer in between laughs. "So, my parents don't know?"

"I'm going to head over on Friday when I get back to tell them," he said. "It's old fashioned, but as close as I am to your family it just feels like the right thing to do."

"Oh, they'll love it," he said. "Who else knows?"

"Um, you," Harry began as the waitress returned, "Andromeda, and then Hermione. She helped me pick out the ring."

Ron beamed. He was clearly unfazed this go around at hearing Hermione's name; instead he picked up his glass to toast to Harry. "All right then, this is to you, Harry. For growing up faster than I'm willing to."

Harry laughed.

"And to the fact that even though I all but consider you one already, I can soon officially call you my brother."

"Wow," Harry said, felling touched. "Save something for the best man speech, mate."

"Oh, well, you know in my family brothers are a dime a dozen, so it's really not all that special," he joked, trying to hold back the laughter that was currently fighting to escape him given their happy spirits. Harry, too, was having a hard time keeping the laughter in, but quickly broke first. They both said, "Cheers!" in unison, clanked their glasses, and drank in celebration for the remainder of the evening.


	2. Quidditch Proposals

On the day of the Puddlemere match, the weather found itself to be windy and cold. Harry found himself entering the stadium only minutes before the Quaffle was to be released, having arrived an hour previously and spending that time walking in circles around the outside perimeter. He had made sure to wait as long as he could to enter, so as to keep the surprise as long as possible. He would have hated to casually run into Ginny while she was warming up. He'd gone this far, he might as well keep it up to the end.

He shoved his freezing hands into the pockets of the large jacket he had worn due to the chilly the wind, but the second his hand landed in his pocket, he couldn't help but feel the small box that he had placed in there just hours before. Just as he had suspected, he had been completely hopeless when it came to picking out rings; thankfully, Hermione seemed to know exactly what she was doing. The ring he had ended up with—after inspecting it three thousand times between when he had bought it and today—seemed so perfect for Ginny that he almost couldn't see why he hadn't seen it immediately.

"Harry!" said a small voice for somewhere near. He looked up to see a little blonde boy with bright blue eyes running towards him. No matter what he looked liked, Harry always knew when it was Teddy.

"Hey, buddy," Harry said, picking him up. He smiled at Andromeda once he noticed her following her approaching, her arms filled with popcorn.

She smiled. "Glad to see you made it."

"Yeah," he said with a nervous smile.

"Are you nervous?" she asked.

"About the game?" Teddy asked innocently. "Grams, you know that Holyhead will beat them. I told you that already!"

"So you did," she said as she gave him a quick tickle. "I was just curious how Harry felt about it."

"He knows they'll win, too," Teddy said obviously. "He's told me."

Harry smiled as he placed Teddy back down on the ground and looked at Andromeda. "Just a little."

"I don't think you should be," she said, laying a comforting hand on his arm. "Oh, and you were very good about the secret, Harry. Ginny doesn't have any idea. She was going on earlier about how happy she is to see you home."

Harry smiled, just as Andromeda gestured for Teddy to follow her towards their seats.

"Why isn't Harry coming?" Teddy asked with a puzzled expression. He was glancing between Harry and his grandmother.

"I'll be over in a little bit," Harry said as he bent down and leveled himself with Teddy's eye line. "I've just got to go and say hi to someone. Cheer loud for me, would you?"

"Okay," he said once Andromeda took his hand.

"Good luck, Harry," Andromeda said. "That is, if I don't see you before."

"What's he need luck for?" Teddy asked.

She smiled down at his little blonde head. "If only you knew."

Harry grinned as he watched Andromeda and Teddy disappear around a corner and out of sight. It was in that moment that the crowd suddenly erupted into a loud cheer, which made him realize that the match had started. He smiled and threw on a Holyhead Harpies cap with the intention of hiding for the time being. Now that the game had started, he wasn't worried about Ginny recognizing him, but rather everyone else recognizing him. Once other people recognized him, it was only a matter of time before the entire stadium got wind of him being here.

He walked out into the stadium to view the action when he was blinded by the bright lights from above. As he managed to get his eyes to adjust to the light, he glanced through crowd directly in front of him in search of Hermione. She had owled him earlier that morning to tell him that she would be sitting in this section tonight and, although it took him several seconds, he soon noticed her bushy hair bouncing up and down. He smiled before he made his way up the stairs towards her.

"Hey," he said as he slid next to her in and sat himself down. "Why are you sitting over here instead of where we usually sit?"

"Oh," she said. "Well, last night, Molly appeared in the fireplace to tell Ginny that she suddenly _urgently_ wanted tickets to the match for her and Arthur." She smiled at Harry. "So, since Ginny can only get ten tickets to each game, and she'd already promised Andromeda two, Charlie two, George three, and then me two, she only had your usual ticket to give away. So, in order to keep them all together, I offered her my other ticket."

Harry stared at her. "Wait, so how was there a ticket left up front for me to get in here if she gave mine away to her parents?"

Hermione smiled. "I thought about that once I realized there was only one ticket left and, had I taken it, you would have been left out in the cold." She paused. "Well, probably not out in the cold, seeing as you're Harry Potter, but I didn't want to risk it."

"How'd you get in, then?"

"I bought tickets," she said obviously.

"I thought the match was sold out?" he asked as he looked around the packed stands while the crowd suddenly let out a raucous roar. Out of instinct, Harry glanced up at the sky looking for Ginny. He spotted her quickly and then glanced back at Hermione.

"It is," she continued, "but Martin knows people, who know people, I suppose. It was the only reason Ginny would let me give up my other ticket in the first place."

"Martin's here?" Harry asked, but right as the words left his mouth, a tall, lanky blonde haired man appeared behind him with two drinks in his hands.

"Oh! Here he is," she said with a quick smile once Martin squeezed past the two of them to sit on Hermione's other side. It was a tight squeeze, seeing as Harry was taking up what was supposed to be his seat.

"Oh, sorry," Harry said as he realized. He quickly stood.

"No, it's okay," Martin said politely. "It's no trouble at all."

Harry forced a cordial smile, but couldn't help that notice that Martin had a very proper and posh air about him. He seemed more far more polished than the people Harry was used to hanging out with.

"How'd things go last night at the Burrow?" Hermione asked as she stood up to join Harry.

"Good," he said, "really good."

"I figured. Ginny mentioned that her mum was acting so strange in the fire last night. She claimed she seemed as though she was near tears."

"She cried last night when I told them," Harry said. "Arthur just smiled and said he appreciated me telling them. Molly just burst into tear and nearly crushed me with a hug."

She beamed. "I'm so excited for you Harry. Ginny's going to be so surprised. You're doing it right after the match?"

"That's the plan."

"You didn't forget the ring, right?" she asked seriously.

"Hermione…"

"You know if you _had_ forgotten it, I would have just saved your skin," she said matter-of-factly.

"I know." He smiled. "It's what you do best, and I'm forever indebted to you for it."

He could see Hermione laugh, but couldn't hear what she said after that given that the crowd had begun cheering once again. He could barely hear anything, let alone Hermione, over the noise.

"Here's hoping the score turns around," she said nervously. "Holyhead is down by forty." She paused as they both watched Ginny score a goal. "Well, thirty now."

"Yes!" Harry yelled excitedly after Ginny scored. He turned back towards Hermione and sighed. "They better win."

"I know," Hermione said as she quickly hugged him. "I can't believe…" She smiled. "I mean it seems like just yesterday we were on the train to Hogwarts and…Oh, Harry!" She hugged him again.

"Thanks, Hermione," he said appreciatively before he glanced down at Martin and had a momentarily thought of wondering why this guy he barely even knew was sharing in an occasion that meant so much to him. He briefly thought of Ron; how he would much rather have him sitting there instead of this Martin fellow.

Harry realized he must have been staring at Martin for just a moment too long, because Martin suddenly stood and awkwardly put out his hand.

"Good luck tonight," he said, shaking Harry's hand. "Hermione's told me all about your plans."

Harry glanced at Hermione, who smiled and shrugged.

"Thanks," he said politely before turning back to Hermione. "I'm going to go down and see Teddy and everyone. Do you want do come?"

Hermione took a deep breath and looked at Martin. Harry had a feeling that visiting the majority of the Weasley family on her own would have been difficult enough, let alone with her current date accompanying her. "You go ahead. I'll be down after the game by the changing rooms, though. I can't wait to hear the good news." She hugged him again. "Good luck, Harry."

"Thanks," he said as he let go of her. He smiled anxiously and then turned and made his way back under the stadium. He could hear several loud cheers and boos as he walked to the other side, but couldn't help but wonder when this game would be over. He hadn't wanted a Quidditch match to be won so badly since the days he had played for Gryffindor, and that was when only the House Cup was at stake.

As he approached the entrance to his section, he couldn't help but think that if he had his way, he wouldn't be bothering to go and sit; instead, he'd wander the back halls for the remainder of the match to prep himself. However, he had promised Teddy he would show up at some point, and he refused to break a promise to him. It was something he had silently vowed to himself the day Remus had asked him to be Teddy's godfather.

His mind traveled to that day that seemed so long ago as he climbed up towards where his seats were. He immediately smiled once he noticed Teddy sitting directly between Andromeda and Molly Weasley—standing on his seat, waving a Holyhead Harpies' flag.

"How are we doing?" Harry asked, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible in an attempt to avoid Molly's eyes.

"Only down by ten!" Teddy said happily.

"Excellent," he said with a smile at Teddy. As he looked at him, he could see Molly staring at him just feet away. Her eyes stared to well with tears.

"HARRY!" George Weasley yelled from down the row. "What are you doing here? Ginny said you were still in Paris."

"I got back early," he yelled back as George made his way down the aisle to get closer to him. "Good to see you, mate."

"You too," George said before gesturing down the aisle. Harry followed his gaze and waved to Lee Jordan and Charlie Weasley, who were both sitting just down the row. He also noticed a very pretty girl sitting next to Lee, who seemed to be following George's every movement with her eyes.

"Who's the girl?" Harry asked.

"That's would be the new," he paused and made a thoughtful face, "I'm not sure what the exact word is, but we'll go with date."

"I see," Harry said.

George turned and yelled down the row for her to come and join them before turning back to Harry. "I'd like you to meet her," he said. "I mean the fact that I took her to a featured Quidditch match that my sister happens to be playing in, and I can introduce her to Harry Potter has got to score some points for me."

"Honestly, George," Arthur mumbled in an annoyed tone once yet another new body started to block his view and cramp the already limited room.

"It'll just be a second, Dad," George said. "Harry, this is Penelope. Penelope this is my very good friend, Harry." He glanced at her. "Harry Potter. You've probably heard of him."

"It's nice to meet you," she said as she shook Harry's hand.

"George, I can't see a thing," Arthur said now that three people were standing directly in front of him.

"You should probably get your eyes checked, Dad," he said. "You are getting up there in age."

"Move!" Arthur said, standing up himself and positioning himself between Harry and George so as to force George back to his seat.

"It was nice to meet you," Penelope said as George ushered her back to her seat.

Harry could distinctly hear George say, "He's practically married to my sister…" as they disappeared back to their seats, which, apparently, Molly had heard it as well. She suddenly started to cry.

"What's wrong, Mum?" Charlie asked, turning towards her.

"Oh, nothing," she said with a small sniffle before she grabbed Harry and hugged him. "Absolutely nothing."

"Right," Charlie said, giving Harry a strange and sympathetic look.

Once Harry did manage to break away from Molly, Teddy happened to grab his arm and gesture for him come down to his level. As Harry leaned down, he suddenly couldn't make out anything Teddy was saying due to the crowd's sudden uproar. By the sounds of things, the Snitch had been caught.

"Who got it?" Harry asked immediately, looking up towards the sky. As it was, the crowd's celebratory cheers around him seemed to answer the question quickly enough, though, if he hadn't been sure, the excited tugging on his arm all but confirmed it.

"The Harpies won!!" Teddy yelled happily, his hair turning bright turquoise. "They caught the Snitch! They won!"

"They did?" Harry asked, sounding genuinely surprised. "You're sure?"

Andromeda nodded as Teddy continued to jump up and down in his seat. Harry glanced down to see George and Lee high-fiving each other, and Charlie hugging his girlfriend happily. Molly was still smiling at Harry.

"I guess I better go…" Harry said slowly, suddenly realizing what it was time to do.

"I'd say so," Andromeda said just as Teddy grabbed hold of Harry sleeve.

"Can I come?"

"No, sweetheart." his grandmother said. "Harry's got something he has to do on his own."

Teddy frowned.

"Actually," Harry began, "can I bring him?"

Teddy immediately began to beam as Andromeda looked at Harry questioningly. "Harry…"

"She'll be in the changing room for awhile," he said. "I'll need someone to keep me company…To keep me from going mad."

"If you're sure," she said skeptically.

"He is!" Teddy said, grabbing Harry's hand and answering for him. "Let's go!"

"All right, then," Andromeda said. "I'll be with the others once everything is said and done." She looked at Teddy. "Don't go getting in the way of anything."

"I'll look after him," Harry said, picking Teddy up under the arms and attempting to navigate him around the crowd into more open space.

"Where are we going?" Teddy asked once Harry put him down and took him by the hand.

"We're going to see Ginny."

"Good," he said. "I want to tell her that she played a wicked match."

"You make sure you do that," Harry said with a smile before gazing up ahead towards the changing rooms. He started to see a crowd forming around what he knew to be the entrance and immediately felt his face fall. He hadn't thought about the possibility of a large crowd of happy fans. He felt his stomach lurch.

"Do you want us to fight our way to the front?" Teddy asked, looking up at Harry.

"No. We're not in much of a hurry. We're in no hurry, actually."

"Oh," Teddy said as he shuffled his feet in front of him as people started to surround them.

"Can you not see?" Harry asked.

Teddy shook his head and Harry suddenly picked him up and positioned him so that he was sitting on his shoulders.

"Better?" Harry shouted up to him.

"Much," he said excitedly as he observed the happy faces of the crowd who were cheering for the Harpies.

"Well, you weren't hard to find," Hermione said with a wide grin on her face as she appeared out of the crowd, Martin in tow.

"Hi, Hermione," Teddy said.

Hermione smiled up at him. "Hi, Teddy. Did you have fun tonight?"

"I did now that the Harpies won," he said obviously as he suddenly noticed Martin. "Who are you?"

"Me?" Martin asked, slightly surprised at the fact that Teddy had addressed him directly.

"This is my friend, Martin," Hermione said with a smile. "Martin, this is Teddy."

"A friend like Ron was your friend?" Teddy asked bluntly. Harry couldn't help but smile at the preciousness of his godson, but he tried to hide that smile from Hermione.

"Oh," she said with an awkward laugh. "Well, not quite like that, no. We're just friends."

Teddy stared at both her and Martin curiously for a moment before leaning down to whisper into Harry's ear. "I like Ron better."

Harry laughed loudly as he patted Teddy's leg appreciatively. "I do too, buddy. I do, too."

"What are you going to do about this crowd?" Hermione asked. "If you do it now, you'll be on the front page of the _Profit_ tomorrow."

"I know," he said in an annoyed tone. "I'm just going to wait and find somewhere where I can do it more privately."

"What are you going to do?" Teddy asked, leaning over the top of Harry's head so that Harry could see the top of his upside down head looking back at him.

"I'm going to ask Ginny something."

"Something important?"

"You could say that."

"Are you going to ask her to marry you?"

Harry looked up at him, surprised that he'd actually gotten that correct. "How'd you figure that out?"

"So, you are!?" Teddy said, seemingly pleased with himself for figuring it out. "You want to get married?"

"To Ginny, yes."

"Why?"

"Why not?" he asked, turning Teddy's favorite phrase around on him.

Teddy considered this. "Fair enough," he said, mimicking the response that Harry often gave him.

Harry smiled. "There are a lot of reasons why," he said as he noticed several of the players emerging from the changing rooms to sign autographs and meet fans, "all of which I'll explain to you when you're older." He reached up and pulled Teddy off of his shoulders and put him back on the ground.

"I'll watch him," Hermione said. Harry gestured for Teddy to go with her before taking a deep breath.

"Good luck," Teddy said, giving Harry a quick thumbs up. Hermione smiled at him as she put a hand on Teddy's shoulder.

Harry took a few steps towards the crowd and watched as several of the players made their way out of the stadium after meeting and greeting fans. There was a small fence and several large security wizards that were keeping the players separated from the fans for their protection. The door opened once again and Calista Cornwall appeared, smiling widely as everyone eagerly stuck out their autograph books at her.

Instinctively, Harry tugged at his hat and pulled it low on his head. The last thing he wanted to do right now was sign autographs, but he knew that if people discovered he was standing here, it was inevitable. The door opened once more and he could feel his heartbeat accelerate as Ginny stepped out to several flashbulbs and people yelling her name. He distinctly heard someone with a camera yell, "Where's Harry?" but Ginny merely smiled and signed a few autographs for several well wishing fans.

As he watched her for several moments, he began to make his way down towards the chain link part of the fence where less people were congregated. He leaned against it casually as Ginny ever so slowly made her way down the line of people. He couldn't help but smile at her as she signed her last autograph, waved politely to everyone else, and began to follow a large security wizard outside.

"Hey," Harry said as soon as she was within earshot, pulling off his hat as he said it. "Don't you think five years with that Potter bloke is long enough? I mean, sure he took down Voldemort, but what's he done for anyone lately?"

Ginny glanced in his direction and forced a smile towards what she assumed was just a random jerk of a fan. Harry grinned when he noticed the recognition in her eyes. "Harry?" she said, coming to a complete halt. "What are you…?"

"Thought I'd catch the match since I was in the neighborhood," he joked.

Ginny suddenly broke into a wide smile, though she wasn't the only person who had noticed the new celebrity in the room.

"Mr. Potter," said a boy who didn't look much older than Teddy. "Can I have your autograph?"

"It's that Harry Potter?" he heard someone else say, just as several heads turned towards him.

"Can we let him in here?" Ginny asked the large wizard next to her. "Quickly?"

Harry leaned down and scribbled his name for the small boy before the large wizard ushered him behind the fence railing. More flash bulbs than ever went off now as Harry walked over to join Ginny.

"What are you doing here?" she asked happily, taking his hand in hers.

"Surprised?"

"Of course I am," she said, unable to stop smiling. "You're supposed to be in Paris. You didn't tell me you had the chance to get back early."

"There's a reason for that," he said, gesturing for her to follow him outside.

"I wish I would have known," she said as they reached the open air of the outside. The second they were away from the cameras and fans, she reached up, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him.

"I wanted it to be a surprise," he said as he wrapped his arms around her as well. "Happy five years."

She smiled. "Well, this is the best present I could have asked for."

"I think I can do one better," he said with a nervous smile. He had been anticipating this moment for weeks now; for as long as he could remember. Now that the moment was here, he actually felt rather calm. He was far more excited than he was nervous.

"How's that?" she asked once Harry released her and glanced around. They were standing in a loading dock area that was separated from the general public by a large concrete wall. It was a private area designated to allow the players to Apparate home in peace. It wasn't the ideal backdrop that he had pictured, but it was private, which was what he wanted most.

"Ginny, I love you," he said.

"I love you, too," she said with a curious smile.

He smiled back at her. "Since I was sixteen, you've been the only girl I've ever thought about."

She kept smiling and opened her mouth to speak, but he cleared his throat quickly to stop her.

"I'm just going to do this," he said as he put his hand into his pocket.

"Do what?" she asked slowly, though her tone seemed to sense something was happening. "Harry, what are you—?" She stopped speaking when Harry started to drop down to one knee. Her jaw dropped. Harry had thumbed open a box with one hand and smiled up at her as he used his other hand to grab hers.

"So, I was thinking…" he said playfully, laughing a little awkwardly. Ginny laughed too, but found herself sniffling a little. "If you're not busy for the rest of your life, I was wondering if, maybe, you'd be interested in spending it with me."

Ginny laughed again, a louder sniffle escaping her.

"Will you marry me?" he asked staring up at her seriously, watching her face for any trace of an answer.

She was quiet for several moments as the entire situation sunk in for her. "Of course I will," she said finally as Harry took the ring out and put it on her finger. She sniffled again as she wrapped her arms around Harry and hugged him. "How long have you…? Wait, you knew you were coming back today!?"

"I had it all planned out. Your dinner with Hermione, for example, was all part of it. She was keeping you busy while I went to tell you parents."

"Hermione knew?!"

"So did your folks, Andromeda, and Ron," he said as he finally let go of her. "Oh, and I just told Teddy about ten minutes ago. So, that means everyone else knows by now."

Ginny shook her head in disbelief. "No wonder my mum was acting so strange." She paused. "No wonder she wanted to come to the match tonight!"

Harry smiled.

"My family is usually rubbish at keeping secrets like this," she said. "I can't believe…" She looked up at Harry. "I had no idea."

"Good," he said as he kissed her forehead. "That's what I was going for."

"The ring is perfect," she said looking down at it. "Absolutely perfect."

"Hermione helped me with that," he shrugged, "since I'm not that good."

"I think you are," she said affectionately. She took a deep breath and looked back towards the tunnel they had just emerged from minutes ago. "So, wait, is my family in there waiting for us?"

"Yes. And Hermione, and whoever else caught wind of this, I'm sure."

"Oh, Merlin's beard," she said, covering her face.

"It's best to get it over with as quickly as possible," Harry said as he and she made their way back towards the tunnel. "Do you think the crowd is gone?"

"I was the last one out," she said, wiping her nose and straightening herself out. "They should have gone by now."

Sure enough, as they walked back into the tunnel, with the exception of a few stragglers, most of the fans had dispersed and gone on their way. The camera and press people had left completely, leaving Harry and Ginny unable to not notice a small gathering of very familiar faces.

"Did you do it!?" Teddy yelled as he ran a few steps ahead of the group. Everyone laughed as Harry picked up Teddy and started walking him back.

"I did do it," Harry said, loud enough for everyone to hear, but specifically addressing Teddy. "And guess what?"

"What?" he asked, genuinely curious as to what Harry was going to say.

"I'm engaged," he said, giving Teddy an excited little shake as everyone else cheered and clapped.

"Oh, congratulations!" Hermione said, rushing forward to hug Ginny tightly. She turned and did the same to Harry once he put Teddy down.

"Oh, Ginny…" Molly said with tears streaming down her cheeks as she went to hug her youngest and only daughter. One by one, everyone one else followed suit until Harry felt that he'd be hugged at least twice by most everyone.

"Welcome to the family," said George, putting Harry into an awkward headlock. "It's about damn time we made that official."

"Congrats, Harry," Charlie said, poking at George to let Harry go.

"I know you must have told Ron while you were in Paris," George said. "How'd he react to you marrying his kid sister?"

"He was happy," Harry said, noticing Hermione suddenly turn away from Ginny and towards them. "He was really happy. We had a few drinks and he toasted me."

"So, in just a few months," George said, turning towards Ginny. "We'll be able to pawn you off on Harry, then?"

"George…" Arthur said, shaking his head, but still smiling at Ginny.

"Congratulations, Harry and Ginny," Teddy said. "Can I still come over when you're married?"

Harry laughed and tousled Teddy's hair. "Ted, you'll have to come over even more now."

"Really?"

"Absolutely," Ginny said, smiling down at him.

"Hey," Charlie said, as if suddenly realizing where they were. "By the way, good game, Gin."

She laughed. "Thanks. To be honest, I'd almost forgotten I'd even played one."


	3. Ten Months Later

**Ten months later**

**March 2004**

Harry and Ginny both sat next to each other on their sofa staring at a large stack of papers that had been placed on the coffee table in their living room. Neither of them seemed to want to make a movement towards it, though each seemed to be waiting for the other to move first.

"Do we have to do this," Ginny asked.

"I say no," Harry said, sitting forward to look back at her.

"I wish we could say no," she grumbled. "We have to get this done tonight."

"We could probably ask your mum to do it," he said encouragingly.

"That's reason enough to do it ourselves," she said, leaning towards the pile just as someone knocked on their front door.

"Come in!" they both yelled in unison, but Hermione was already entering before they had finished speaking.

"That was quick," Harry said once she had entered and handed him a small brown package.

She began taking off her cloak. "How long was I gone for?"

"Probably ten minutes," Ginny said as she watched Harry open what was in his hands.

"I promise this quill will make addressing all of the invitations far easier than if you did it free hand," Hermione said, making herself comfortable on the floor, "and it'll look lovely."

"I say we invite like ten people," Harry said, glancing from Hermione to Ginny. "We scribble it out onto some parchment right now, send it out in the post tomorrow morning, and we're done."

"If only," Ginny mumbled before finally picking up some of the papers from the top of the stack. "I mean, we've already cut the guest list my mum sent over in half."

Harry took off his glasses and started rubbing his eyes. "We can do better."

"How many people were on the list your mum sent over?" Hermione asked. Ginny passed her a roll of parchment that looked to be about two feet long. Her eyes went wide.

"I know maybe a quarter of those people," Harry added as he watched Hermione scan the list.

"I don't know much more," Ginny chipped in. "I mean, I may have met half the people on the list, but I have no idea who the majority of them are."

"We told Molly," Harry said, addressing Hermione, "That we want it to be a really small and intimate thing. Only the closest of friends and family…" He gestured towards the list in her hands. "This is what she sends us."

Ginny patted Harry on the leg before standing up. "You know how excited she gets about weddings and stuff. We just have to humor her." She started to walk towards the kitchen. "But, it's our wedding. We'll invite who we want to."

"Exactly," Hermione said, agreeing with her. Harry's growing frustrations at planning this wedding were beginning to become more and more evident as the days passed. It most certainly wasn't his sort of thing.

"I just never thought there'd be so many things to decide on," he mumbled once Ginny returned with a pot of tea. "You would not believe some of the owls I got at work the other day about flowers. Who cares that much about flowers?"

Ginny and Hermione exchanged knowing looks, but neither said anything. Instead, they started to divide the stack of parchment between them.

"Okay," Hermione began. "Tell you what, you both go through the names and we'll sort everyone into a yes, no, or maybe pile. I'll write down everyone and then, in the end, we'll sort through the maybes and finalize everything." She looked at Harry. "All you have to do is read and comment, Harry."

Harry smirked and nodded as pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"Okay," Ginny said. "Well, wedding party first then." She looked at Hermione. "Obviously you," she turned towards Harry, "and Ron…"

"Right," Harry said as both he and Ginny observed Hermione as she carefully scribbled down the name Ronald Weasley without hesitation. She glanced up at them as though expecting the next name, but looked surprised to see them both still staring at her.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Well," Ginny began, "we haven't really asked you how you feel about that."

"About what?"

"About Ron being the best man," she continued. "And since you're my maid of honor, that means that the two of you—"

"Ohhh…" Hermione said slowly, glancing at Harry. "Of course I've thought about it, but I'm fine."

"Really?"

"If I wasn't," she continued, "would that change anything?"

Harry and Ginny looked at one another. The truth was that it wouldn't. They had actually discussed this at great length when they had first gotten engaged. Harry had said that there was no conceivable way that Ron would not be his best man, and Ginny, who had become almost as close to Hermione as Harry was over the last few years, felt only two people could be her maids of honor. Hermione being the obvious choice since Luna Lovegood was impossibly difficult to get a hold of these days, what with her world travels. In the end, they had both agreed that this was their wedding and that they would do things how they wanted to. Everyone else would have to deal with it.

Harry shrugged. "Not really."

"Exactly," Hermione said with a small grin. "Honestly though, I'm fine with that. In fact, it'll be nice to see Ron given the occasion."

"Really?" he asked.

Hermione put her quill down and leaned back on her hands. "Of course, Harry. You're both mine and his friend." She glanced at Ginny. "And Ginny, you're also my friend and Ron's sister. You both can't think that I didn't know from the get go that this was inevitable." She picked up her quill again. "I had two choices. I could either sit and dread it, or I could embrace it."

Ginny smiled as Harry looked pleasantly surprised at this news.

"Ron and I are in better shape that we were months ago," she continued. "I mean, granted I haven't seen him in a year, but I sent him a card on his birthday."

"You did?" Harry asked. "You didn't tell me that."

"I didn't know you really cared," she said. "Anyway, he ended up writing me back. He said he'd been thinking a lot about things and how stupid it was for the two of us to not be speaking and what not. To throw away the years of memories…" She trailed off. "And he's right. He mentioned that he hoped we could at least be friendly with each other what with your wedding coming up, because he'd hate for any awkwardness on our part to ruin your day."

Ginny laughed. "Ron said this?" She looked at Harry. "Wow, Paris has done wonders for him."

"That wasn't Paris," Hermione said in a distant sounding tone, suddenly starting off at nothing in particular. "He could always be like that when he wanted to be."

"So, you two are good again?" Harry asked.

Hermione sat up straight. "Well, I wrote him back and told him I agreed with him. I haven't heard from him since, but I would assume we're on the right foot towards being friends again. I'll only know for sure when he moves back to England."

"That's such a relief," Ginny said. "I won't lie. The thought of the two of you having a row at the reception has given me nightmares."

"Has it really?" asked Hermione in an almost horrified tone. "Ginny, we would never. I would never…"

"It's nothing really," she added. "I've also had nightmares about the decorations being wrong, the food being spoiled, it raining…" She paused thoughtfully. "It was probably one of the more pleasant nightmares."

Harry and Hermione both laughed before Hermione picked up a random sheet of paper from her pile. "Let's see," she said. "Who's Great Uncle Filwin?"

"Who?" Ginny mumbled, taking the paper from Hermione and tossing it towards the rubbish bin. "I didn't even know I had a great uncle Filwin…"

"I'll name off all my yeses right now," Harry began, pointing at Hermione. "You, Ron, all the Weasleys—"

"Wait," she said. "I have to write their names out!"

"Mum, Dad," Ginny began as she count off on her fingers, "Bill, Fleur, Victoire, Dominique, Louis, Charlie, Percy, Audrey, Molly." She took a mock deep breath. "And George, since we've got Ron already." She recounted quickly in her head to double check.

"George Weasley…" Hermione said out loud as she quickly scribbled the last name down. Harry couldn't help but be reminded of their school days and Hermione's ability to take down notes at a rapid pace.

"You know who'd get a kick out of this whole wedding?" asked Ginny suddenly as she looked up at Harry. "Just the fact that we actually ended up together?"

"I could think of a lot of people," he said with a sad smile, "but I'm assuming you mean Fred."

She nodded. "It's so strange to skip his name when I'm naming off everyone." She frowned. "You're right, though. There really are so many people."

"Right," he said, trying to keep the mood from turning somber. "George asked me the other day if he could bring a date."

Ginny shrugged. "It's up to you. I know we both want to keep it small, but you seem to want that in particular."

"Maybe to the reception?" he suggested. "I mean, I want people to have fun, but you know how I feel about strangers turning up. The next thing you know my wedding day is splashed all over the _Daily Profit_."

"The _'Boy Who Lives Weds'_," Hermione joked, but Harry actually nodded.

"You're kidding, but you know that's exactly what it'll be."

"They haven't figured out you're engaged yet," she said. "Although, I was reading the gossip and speculation the other day about it."

"What did it say this time?"

"The usual," Hermione said. "Stuff like, 'Rumor has it that Harry Potter and his longtime girlfriend, Quidditch player Ginny Weasley, are talking about marriage...'"

"It's hard not to talk about when you're planning a wedding," he joked.

"But that's the thing," Hermione said. "They don't even realize you're actually engaged and it's been months!"

"They only even started talking about it when they saw my ring," Ginny said, glancing down at her hand. Her engagement ring was on the opposite hand and on the wrong finger, "But it was either wear it like this or shove it in a drawer until the wedding was over."

"They would have talked regardless," Harry said. "They've been talking since we got together."

"So," Hermione asked as she held her quill tentatively in place, "a date for George, then?"

"Can't he bring Lee as his date?" asked Ginny. "That would kill two birds with one stone. Plus, if we give George a date, then we have to allow Ron one—"

"If Ron gets a date, I get to bring one," Hermione said quickly. She seemed to almost surprise herself by saying it so bluntly.

Harry blinked at her. "I had already assumed you wanted to bring Martin?"

"I do, but" she hesitated, "if you were trying to keep the numbers down I would have understood. I mean, ultimately it's your decision, but if Ron and George get to, I would think—"

"Okay, okay," Harry interrupted. "Dates can come to the reception, but I don't want them at the ceremony. People can sell pictures of me cutting cake to the papers, but I don't want random strangers there as I'm trying to give my vows."

"You're going to get security for the reception still, right?" Hermione asked. "I think that should keep most of the undesirables out."

"Then we'll just end up with someone like Rita Skeeter in there. They'll be able to transfigure themselves into a champagne bottle or something."

"In a room full of Aurors?" Hermione asked. "Do you really think someone would be that thick?"

"I'd like to think not," Harry said, "but things are going well in the world today, so all these people have to do is follow me around and report how dully I'm living my life."

"We keep getting sidetracked," Ginny said. "Kingsley Shacklebolt. An obvious 'yes'?"

"Absolutely," Harry said. "And some of the Aurors. Rooney, Thomas, and Hillsby can all come to the reception."

"So, basically we're inviting everyone to the reception now?" Ginny asked.

"Do any of the people you just mentioned have last names?" Hermione asked as she tried to write names down. "Or first names as the case may be?"

"Don't worry, I'll know who they are," Harry said before turning towards Ginny. "And if we're letting random people in, then I have to invite people I actually do know."

She smirked. "Flipped like a switch, have you? Shall I just owl Mum and tell her that her entire list is a go, then?"

"Let's not get carried away," he said as he started picking names up and sorting through the pile. "Now let's see. This one's a no. As is this one. No, yes, no, no…no…absolutely not."

"Oh, great," Ginny said to Hermione while they watched him. "It looks like he's got his second wind."

"Looks like someone better put on more tea," Hermione said, shaking her head.

"You both wanted me to be more involved," he said with a smile. "You're just getting your wish."


	4. A Gathering of Weasleys

"We've just sent the invitations out the other day, so it's done," Ginny announced to a kitchen full of people as she, Harry, and Teddy entered the Burrow early one evening. "Thankfully."

"Well done," Arthur said with a smile. "That must have felt nice to get done."

"You have no idea, Dad," Ginny said as hugged her brother, Bill, upon noticing him. "Now I only have a million other things to think about."

Bill smirked. "Oh, is that all?"

"Is Ron back from Paris yet?" Harry asked as he glanced around the kitchen.

"Not yet," Molly said once she whisked past them with a hot pan, "but he said his Portkey doesn't get in until 6:12, and that's only about ten minutes from now." She stopped once she noticed a blue haired Teddy observing everyone. "Oh, hello, Teddy. How nice to see you."

He smiled. "Hi, Mrs. Weasley."

"The children are in the backyard if you'd like to go and play," she added. "Just try not to get too dirty before supper."

"Okay," he said without hesitation before he darted out of the kitchen and into the backyard.

Molly stopped what she was doing and looked at Harry. "He's had to have grown a foot since I last saw him."

"He's only a head shorter than me," Ginny said. "He's grown six inches just in the last few months."

"Ah, I knew you were 'ere," Fleur suddenly said as she entered the room with a bright smile. "I just saw Teddy in ze backyard with ze children." She went straight to where Harry was standing. "I needed to ask you what day you had decided for your wedding, because I need to know 'ow much time I 'ave to buy a dress for Victoire."

"April 17th," Harry said.

Fleur made a curious face. "Will it not be terribly rainy out?" she asked, glancing at Bill. "You were planning to get married outside, no?"

"We are," Harry said as he put a reassuring arm around Ginny. The chance that it would be raining that day was a thought that Ginny had been worrying herself about as it already was. He really didn't want Fleur placing even more doubt in her head. "We're not worried. If it's too cold or rainy, we'll build a tent."

"That's the spirit," Arthur cheered.

"So, that means the wedding is only two weeks away?" Bill asked with a glance at the pair of them. "Right?"

"Two and a half," Harry said as he felt Ginny exhale heavily from beside him him. "We've got it all sorted out for the most part."

"For the most part," Ginny mumbled as she took a seat at the table.

"Oh, Ginny!" Fleur announced as she made her way around the table and over towards where she had just sat. "I have found ze most lovely flower girl dress for ze ceremony." She pulled out a catalog of children's clothing, "but I wanted to make sure you liked it before I bought it."

"Oh…okay," Ginny said in an overwhelmed sort of way once the catalogue was thrust in front of her.

"How's work going, Harry?" Bill asked swiftly. Harry had the distinct impression that Bill had already heard enough about flower girl dresses to last a lifetime.

"All right," Harry said. "We've been monitoring this group up near Sheffield who have been reported to be acting a bit strange. We don't know if they're trying to establish a new dark arts following or what the case is, but they're quite young from what I've gathered. The oldest one we know of is maybe twenty."

"Mini-wannabe Death Eaters?" Arthur asked.

"You could say that, but we have no evidence to support the fact and they don't seem to have any real substance or power in their ranks. So, no young Voldemorts running around. It just seems like a bunch of kids who are getting their kicks by being rebellious."

"That's good to hear given that I rather enjoy the peace and quiet," Molly said as she checked her watch and then looked over towards their special family clock. Harry followed her gaze and saw that Ron's hand was now marked "Traveling." He also couldn't help but notice that several other hands had been added since the last time he had really taken a good look at the clock.

"Soon enough you'll get one, too," Arthur said watching Harry's face. "Since it's magical, it readjusts itself once you're actually a member of the family. I'm curious to see how many hands it'll end up with."

"Oh," Harry said. The truth was that he hadn't been wondering about himself so much, but rather surprised to see that Fred's hand was now gone. He could have sworn he'd looked at that clock since his death and still seen his hand there…Hadn't he?

"We will buy ze dress, then," Fleur said with a look towards Bill. "Victoire will look adorable in it."

"Vic looks adorable in everything," Bill said lazily. "You know that."

"Well, she certainly does," Molly said obviously, just as she heard the kids suddenly yell loudly from the backyard. "That's probably Ron," she added before the front door opened and George walked in.

"Have I missed dinner?" he asked right as everyone began standing to make their way outside.

"Not yet," Harry said, following the group into the yard. They were met by the site of Ron picking up Victoire to hug her. Twins Dominique and Louis, as well as Teddy, were jumping around next to him.

"Did you bring us any presents, Uncle Ron?" asked three-year-old Louis.

"Trust me, Lou," Ron said. "Anything I would have brought you would have been downright silly next to the stuff your grandparents can get you from France."

"But it wouldn't matter," said Victoire as she pulled her long hair out of her face. "It would be from you, Uncle Ron."

"Yeah!" Dominique chimed in as she mimicked her sister and began pulling her hair out of her face.

"Well, you're lucky this time," Ron said, pulling out a large sack of candy. "It's not much, but it's something."

"Thanks, Uncle Ron!" said both Louis and Dominique together as they rushed forward to take it. Teddy looked over Victoire's shoulder to inspect the candy himself, as she helped herself to some.

"Share that with, Teddy," Ron said as all four kids went running off, giggling. He glanced at Fleur, who was shooting him a contemptuous look.

"You had to give it to zem before dinner?"

"Oh," he blushed, "I didn't realize…Sorry."

"Dominique!" Fleur yelled as she followed after them. "Louis! You can have some after dinner!"

"I should probably go and stop Teddy from gorging, too," Harry said as he quickly greeted Ron.

"Don't worry about it," Bill said. "Fleur will manage to wrestle that candy away from them easily."

"I don't think she's ever seen Teddy around chocolate frogs," Ginny said with a smile before she hugged Ron. "Glad to see you back."

"Glad to be back," he said as he observed Harry and Ginny. "And hey, this is the first time I've seen the two of you since you got engaged."

"We're not really different than before."

"So you say. How are the wedding plans coming along?"

Harry and Ginny exchanged tired expressions.

"What did I say?" Ron asked.

"They're going good," Harry said. "I think we both just need a break from talking about it."

"So, you surround yourself with family members who will nag you for every detail?" he asked. "Brilliant plan."

"Let's talk about you," Harry said quickly, "and about how Paris was."

"Yeah," said Teddy as he suddenly appeared and looked up at Ron. "I want to hear about Paris, too!"

"Not much to talk about," Ron began as his mother came out and kissed him on the cheek.

"Dinner will be ready in a few minutes," she added before disappearing back inside. "I'm glad to see you back, dear."

"Thanks, Mum," he said before sitting himself down at the nearest picnic table. "But yeah, I mean, Harry you're already well aware of everything I've been up to since you get to read the report every week."

"Yeah, but they don't," Harry said, gesturing to Bill, Ginny, and Teddy. "Make it exciting."

"Well, I really enjoy it over there. A lot. My French is worlds better now, and I'll prove it later when I need to ask Fleur for something."

Harry smiled. "Something besides, 'where's the loo?'"

"Believe it or not, I've progressed from that," Ron said.

"I've got to see this," Bill said as he looked over Ron's shoulder. "Vicki! Come here for a second."

At the mention of her name, little five-year-old Victoire turned away from her mother's loud lecture about eating candy before dinner, and came running over to where her father was sitting. Her mouth was filled with something chewy that she was now trying to swallow as fast as possible.

Bill looked at Ron. "Go ahead. She's all but fluent. Give her your best shot."

"All right, then," Ron said looking into the eyes of his niece. "Bonjour, Victoire."

"Bonjour," she said.

Bill rolled his eyes. "Even I know that. Throw something hard at her."

"Qu'avons-nous pour le dîner?" Ron asked.

"What does that mean?" Ginny whispered to Harry. He shrugged.

"He's asking what's for dinner," Victoire said politely. "Rosbif avec les pommes de terre et les carottes."

"Roast beef with potatoes and carrots," Ron said proudly.

"Congratulations, Ron," said George with mock enthusiasm as he approached the table. "You can speak French at a five-year-old level."

"Ha-ha," he said.

"So, Ginny, Harry," George continued. "April 17th, I hear?"

"April 17th."

"Is that the date for the wedding?" Ron asked.

"Yeah. We just sent the invitations out yesterday."

"Does that mean I can bring a date?" George asked. "Because there's this really amazing girl who comes into the shop quite a bit and we've become friendly, so I was thinking..."

"She can come to the reception," Ginny said. "Ceremony is for family and friends only."

"Oh, well, that works out fine," George said. "Are you bringing a date, Ronnie?"

"I just got back, George."

"You've barely been gone," said George, rolling his eyes. "Plus, shouldn't you be telling us all about the various fantastic French conquests you've been having? Loose women and all that?"

"George, the kids," Bill said, gesturing to both Victoire and Teddy, though neither could be bothered to listen. They were currently far more entertained by Teddy trying to change his hair color at Victoire's request.

"How about I unpack first?" Ron asked. "Then I'll work on getting a date to their wedding."

"You don't have to get one," Ginny said. "It's not a requirement or anything."

"Isn't Hermione bringing that boyfriend of hers?" George asked as both Harry and Ginny shot him dirty looks. "I just think Ron should know about these sorts of things. You two would just let him walk blindly into it. Feed him to the wolves."

"Oh, please," Ginny mumbled.

Ron pursed his lips next to her. "I probably should see if I could find someone," he said absently.

"Between Lee and I, we'll find you someone," George said. He looked at Ginny. "Lee's invited, right?"

"Yes."

"Good," George said, "because I sort of told him he was already and—"

"George…!" Ginny exclaimed, just Victoire leaned across the table towards her father.

"Dad?" she asked. "Do I need to find a date?"

"No," Bill said, looking a little shocked by her question. "You certainly don't."

"But I want to," she said, forcing a pout.

George grinned. "You can be Ron's date, Vicki."

"You can take Louis as your date," her father suggested. "That'll be nice."

Victoire made face. "He's my brother!"

"So?"

"We're family," she said. "You can't have your date be in your family."

"That depends on where you're from…" George joked, though Victoire clearly didn't seem to understand him; she instead glanced back at Teddy.

"Are Teddy and I related?" she asked.

"He's just a very good family friend," Bill said, casting Harry an amused look.

"Well, then Teddy can be my date!" she said happily, as if she had just solved a great mystery.

"What?" Teddy said. He face had fallen instantly and looked horrified by the prospect. "Why me?"

"Because you need a date," Victoire said matter-of-factly.

"I don't!" he said, looking up at Harry for support.

"You do!" Victoire said.

"I don't!"

"Do!"

"Don't!"

"If you just don't want to be _my_ date," Victoire said as her small face started to show it's annoyance with him. "Then just say so."

"I don't want to," he replied without hesitation.

"Too bad," she said as she stood up and stared Teddy down with a look that could have easily been construed as both adorable and frightening at the same time. She suddenly turned and marched back towards the house, leaving a puzzled Teddy in her wake.

"Wow," George said as he, along with everyone else at the table, glanced at a very surprised looking Bill.

"Should I be worried?" he asked as he stood from the table. "She's barely five."

Ron laughed. "I'd be more worried if I were Teddy, to be honest."

That one," George said, pointing towards the house, "is going to grow up to be a woman that knows what she wants." He let out a low whistle before he, too, turned and walked away.

Bill took a deep breath and shook his head before he stopped and smiled at Teddy. "I'm going to have to keep my eye on this one here," he said. He glanced up at the house and his grin slowly faded. "And more importantly, that one…"

"What did I do?" Teddy asked, sounding worried once Bill followed George.

"He's kidding, Teddy," Ginny said. "He's didn't mean anything."

"Do I really have to be her date?" he asked Harry.

"You know," Harry said, "one day, you're going to enjoy it when a pretty girl asks you to be her date."

"Not today, " Teddy mumbled.


	5. The Auror Department

Harry stepped off the lifts onto the second floor of the Ministry of Magic, running his hand aggressively through his hair. He attempted to shake out some of the water that had collected in his hair, since it had been pouring rain that morning upon his arrival. Anyone inside of the Ministry wouldn't know this though, given that the Ministry's enchanted windows showed a severe blizzard scene at the moment. The maintenance department was on strike once again, it seemed. As Harry turned a corner towards the Auror Department, he contemplated whether maintenance spent more time on strike or off, that was until he was greeted by a plump witch with an inviting smile who was sitting attentively behind a desk.

"Good morning, Mr. Potter," she said. "How are you today?"

"Well, thanks," he said, smiling back as he entered the department. "Is Robards in yet, Eleanor?"

"His holiday started today," she said, reaching for a large folder.

Harry's face dropped slightly. "That started today?"

She nodded. "A week and a half in Tunisia with the wife and children. He sent me his itinerary just yesterday. It sounds wonderful."

"I'm sure," he said absently. "So, wait, that means that I'm—"

"In charge," she said, handing him the folder before picking up another small stack of papers. "In the folder are the most recently reported incidents, and here," she handed him the stack of papers, "are the memos and messages we've received since this morning."

He took the stack and eyed it wearily. "It's only 8:30."

"You mean it's already 8:30," she said. "It's usually larger."

"Right," he mumbled before he began to make his way to his office, his hands now full.

"Oh, and Mr. Potter," she said, following him with a small pad and quill in her hands. "I'd also like to remind you that the students from Hogwarts will be here around eleven—"

"Hogwarts's students?"

"Mr. Robards did tell you, didn't he?"

Harry sighed. "He didn't. This is my first day back in the office since last Wednesday. I've been on assignment up north investigating…" He trailed off and sighed. His day had just started and he already knew it was going to be a long one. "What about the Hogwarts's students? Is it the seventh-years?"

"It is," she said, checking her pad. "Several of the individuals who are interested in careers as Aurors. Usually the head of the department gives a bit of a lecture to them to inform them of what they're getting into."

"And I suppose that's me at the moment?"

"Yes, sir."

Harry bit his bottom lip and stared at Eleanor as he tried to figure out how he was going to get all the work he had planned to do today complete on top of running the department.

"Can I get you some coffee or tea?" she added quickly as Harry continued to stare through her, deep in thought.

"Tea, please," he said as slowly sat down in his chair behind his desk and began running his hands through his hair again.

"Very well," she said with a nod before she vanished from Harry's sight. As she disappeared, a memo flew into the room and landed neatly on Harry's desk. He stared at it for a long moment before leaning over to open it. He read:

_Lunch, later? -Hermione_

Harry sighed and hastily scribbled back.

_Can't. Robards is on vacation and loads of work is already piling up. –Harry_

He tapped his wand swiftly onto the piece of parchment and watched as it flew steadily out of his office, narrowly missing Eleanor as she returned with tea.

"Thanks," he said with a weary smile as she dropped it off and made her way back to her desk. He started absently flipping through the folder he had received before settling on signing off on case reports. It was the dullest part of being an Auror, and the process had a tendency to get backlogged for weeks at a time since his superior, Arwen Robards, usually ignored the task.

He'd been at it for only a half an hour before he stopped once he heard the voices of several people milling around the outside of his office. He checked his watch. It was almost 9:00, which meant everyone else was getting in and the morning meeting was about to begin…The morning meeting he hadn't yet prepared because he'd been so sidetracked by Robards's absence.

"Bloody ridiculous," said a gruff male voice. "I lost the whole load because of bad calls."

"That's what you get for betting on Muggle sport," a female voice said.

"I think the same results would have occurred regardless," a younger sounding male voice said, just as the door to Harry's office opened. "It doesn't matter if it's wizard or Muggle gaming, Hillsby is a terrible gambler."

"Morning, Harry," waved the older wizard with the gruff voice.

"Morning, Hillsby," he said without looking up.

"Geez, Harry," said the witch of the group, who was currently observing his work load. "What's with all the paperwork? Bit off more than you can chew, have you?"

"Robards is on vacation, Mal," said the younger wizard. "Harry's second in command. So, he's in charge."

"Oh, that's right," said Hillsby. "Forgot he wouldn't be here today."

"You're not the only one," Harry mumbled as two more people entered the room.

"Oye, Marks," said the dark skinned woman who had just entered and pointed to the younger wizard from before. "How'd that spot in Edinburgh go? I heard you had to stun a whole group of elderly people."

"That never happ—" said the younger wizard named Marks in a frustrated tone. "I mean, who starts this stuff?"

"Probably you," said Mal with a grin as several others chuckled. Jacob Marks was the newest Auror out of training and generally caught slack from the others due to his age and precocious nature.

"What time is it?" Harry interrupted.

"Five 'til nine," said Hillsby once the group started to take seats around the room.

"All right," Harry said as he pushed the work he was doing to the side. "We've got five minutes until morning meeting and we're missing…?"

"Savage," said the fifth wizard in the room known as Williamson. "And Henry."

"Henry is in Antsworth," said Mal, flipping her long dark hair over her shoulder. "He and Thomas are there until next week."

"Savage is in America until Thursday," Hillsby added as a pale man with light hair appeared at the door.

"Look who has returned from the dead!" said Mal excitedly as she jumped up from her seat to greet him. "David Rooney! How was Paris?"

"Nice," he said as he came in and greeted everyone. "I'm glad to be back, though."

"Glad to have you back," said the dark skinned woman with a sly smile.

"Oh, Delina," Rooney joked. "You didn't miss me did you?"

She smiled. "Maybe a little. I mean everyone here is far too competent to blame any of my mistakes on, so without you to use as a scapegoat…"

Everyone laughed, right as another body appeared at the door and glanced around the room. Harry smiled as Ron entered.

"And look who else is back!" Mal said excitedly, greeting Ron.

"Excellent," Marks said. "Now we've got more people to put on detail and I don't have to work double watches!"

"Don't count on that," Harry said, glancing around the room while Ron took a seat. "Well, I know I've usually got a whole list of things laid out for the day, but with the extra work that I wasn't anticipating shoved on me, this meeting is going to be a bit on the fly. First off, Rooney and Weasley are back from Paris, as you can see, so welcome back to the both of you."

There was small applause and Ron and Rooney took mock bows.

"They've come back at just the right time because, as you know," Harry continued, "the up and coming months tend to be the busiest ones on record. So, let's get right to handing out assignments." He reached over to the folder on his desk and opened it. He glanced at Mal. "Hubbard. According to the plans from last week, you and Patricks," he glanced at Delina, "Are to investigate some disturbances in Norfolk." He handed the folder to Delina and stepped back. "I haven't looked through it yet to check out the details, but I trust the two of you will review it and take the proper precautions."

"Absolutely," Delina said with a glance at Mal. She nodded.

"Rooney," Harry said with a small grin. "As a welcome back present, you get to mentor two trainees."

Rooney shrugged and took the folder Harry handed him.

"Inside there," he said, "there's a routine inspection assignment for you to take them on and rate their performance. They'll both be answering to you for the remainder of their third training year, so make sure to keep your reports on the both of them in order."

"Right," Rooney said once he opened the folder to inspect the two people he would have to train.

"Gerrard in Paris said your skills have improved greatly," Harry continued. "A fantastic compliment since your temper was always what got the best of you."

Rooney managed a watered down smile. It was a fact that his temper definitely had always been his shortcoming as an Auror, and had kept him from receiving some well deserved promotions over the years. It was almost strange for Harry to be lecturing Rooney on the advancement of his skills when it was he who had been Harry's officially assigned mentor when he was in his second year of training. Of course, the training program for Harry had been done more at his own request than the department's.

Given Harry's reputation, the department had been prepared for Harry to all but take over the day he joined. However, Harry wasn't looking for preferential treatment, or the excess responsibility. He did the majority of the training program regardless of how advanced others found his skills during the process. By the time he was twenty, he had officially graduated to full blown Auror status, and by twenty-two, he had already advanced to second in command of the department, the position he still held today. He had been afraid that the appointment would upset some of the people who had been there longer than he had, but surprisingly, everyone seemed to welcome the idea.

"Marks," Harry said, picking up another folder. "You and Williamson will head over to St. Mungo's to investigate those individuals suspected to be involved in the murder of those Muggles in London. Muggle authorities have said the cause of death is unknown, but I believe it to be an Unforgivable Curse."

"What if they won't talk?" Marks asked eagerly.

Harry glanced at Williamson, who rolled his eyes. "We'll take care of it," Williamson said in a very official tone.

"Aren't you an Auror?" Delina snapped at Marks. He blushed.

"Hillsby," Harry said. "You'll be on detail today seeing as that's really all I've got as far as assignments go. It's almost been entirely too quiet around here lately."

"That's a good thing."

"It's odd," Harry said, handing Hillsby several documents. "What level security clearance do you have?"

"Four."

"Excellent." Harry grinned. "You can help me sign off on case reports."

"Oh, that's be fun," he said sarcastically.

"Right," Harry said before clapping his hands together. "That's it for today's meeting. Ron stay behind, I need to talk to you."

"You didn't give me an assignment," Ron said with a shrug. "I couldn't go anywhere if I tried."

"I've got something for you," he said before glancing around the room. "Any other questions before everyone is off?"

Mal raised her hand. Harry pointed at her.

"Why didn't you tell us you were getting married?"

Harry's eyes went wide as Delina and Marks both reared their heads around on him in a surprised manner.

"You're getting married?" Williamson asked as he stood in the doorway clutching his assignment.

Harry and Ron exchanged glances before Harry sighed dejectedly. "Who told?"

"Well, that as good as confirms it," Mal said with a smirk. "I owe Eleanor lunch."

Harry's face dropped. "Wait, you didn't actually know?"

"Not until you just said it," she said with a gesture towards him. "Eleanor suspected it because she keeps sorting through random post concerning party favors and flowers and what not, but it was addressed to some random unknown name." She paused and shrugged. "It happened too often to be a mistake, and once she and I chatted about it, I came to the conclusion that someone may very well be hiding the fact that they're celebrating something…" She chuckled. "Sorry Harry, but that description fits you better than anyone. For all we knew, it could have been a birthday party, but wedding just seemed like the more exciting guess."

"So, you tricked me into admitting it?"

She grinned. "I did get top marks in investigation technique."

"Can she and Marks switch assignments, then?" Williamson asked. "I'd rather be stuck with her than him."

"Okay, okay" Harry said once everyone started smiling at him. "The truth is out…"

"Well, congrats!" Marks said excitedly. "That's fantastic!"

"Thanks," Harry said lazily as everyone else wished him congratulation in mixed unison. "But here's the thing, I am trying to keep it quiet. So if you all could just not tell anyone—"

"The papers would have field day," Rooney said as they all started exiting the room, seemingly ignoring Harry's request. They were instead commending Mal on figuring everything out. Harry watched them leave and then clumsily plopped down on the edge of his desk. He looked at Ron.

"I don't think anyone is going to tell anybody," Ron encouraged.

Harry gave Ron a look to say he didn't agree, but took a deep breath and changed the subject. "You, my friend," he said as he crossed his arms over his chest, "get to talk to the Hogwarts's students today."

"What?"

"A group of them are headed this way around eleven," he said, checking his watch. "They come in every year, the seventh-years. We talk to them about being an Auror. You chat, you answer questions, and it's all good fun."

Ron made a doubtful face. "Are these kids expecting Harry Potter? Because if they're expecting you and they get me—"

"They won't be," Harry said. "It's usually Robards's job, but since he's on holiday—"

Ron made another doubtful face.

"I just have so much work to do," Harry said honestly. "Plus, I'm headed to Hogwarts in just over a week to do my lecture anyway."

Ron's expression didn't change.

"And you know that these kids would much rather have you talking to them than Robards," he said as he tried to inflect fake cheerfulness in his tone. "I mean, you are the famous Ron Weasley."

"I actually just go by Ron nowadays," he said as several memos came flying into the office. "But I guess I don't have a choice in the matter. In the meantime though, what shall I do?"

"You can finish your Paris discharge work," Harry said seriously. "You did never hand in your last week's worth of reports, and technically, I can't give you a real assignment here until you're fully discharged from the French Ministry."

Ron sighed. "So, that's the real reason I'm stuck speaking to—"

"No," he interrupted. "I really am just that busy, and as much as I like going back to Hogwarts and talking to kids, I'm just not up the usual, 'Tell us how you defeated Voldemort,' chat today."

"Oh, but it's such a good story," he joked as Eleanor walked into the office.

"Post is here," she said, handing Harry a very large stack of envelopes before turning and handing Ron some as well. "Oh, and," she smiled, "congratulations on your engagement."

Ron tried to hide a laugh as Harry begrudged a smile and a thank you to the woman who had contributed to the outing of his secret.

"Just hope that everyone keeps their mouths shut," Ron said after Eleanor left. "With the news being as slow as it's been lately, it'll be front page for sure."

Harry sighed. "I'm firing anyone who tells."

"Can you do that?"

He smirked. "No, but I can still tell them I can."


	6. Fittings and Fighting

Several hours later—and across town—Ginny stood patiently waiting outside of a small shop in a Muggle shopping district watching people walk past. She had originally wanted to go to Diagon Alley for this task in particular, but had decided against it when she realized how many people would question her purchasing a wedding dress. To wizards, she played on a high profile Quidditch team and was dating a world famous wizard. To Muggles, she was just any other girl.

She sighed as the wind kicked up and upswept her hair. It was a surprisingly blustery day as she clutched her coat tightly around her and checked a nearby clock. Just as she began to think about how Hermione was running surprisingly late, Hermione suddenly appeared from around a corner looking bothered.

"I'm sorry I'm late," Hermione said. "I got held up at work with an issue concerning the murder of a house elf."

"It's okay," Ginny said with a smile. "I wasn't waiting long. What's this about a house elf murder?"

Hermione let out an annoyed sigh. "You know how hard I worked to get house elf legislation pushed to the point where they're garnered some, albeit still pitiful, rights?"

"Of course," Ginny said as the two of them began walking down the street together.

"Well, there are always idiots who think they're above the system," she said, "and this one in particular," she paused to take a breath, "the same one who's been warned twice before about his treatment of his house elf, went fully mental yesterday and ended up poisoning his elf with chemicals."

"How horrible!"

"It's heartbreaking," she said, "but legislation has only been pushed to the point where house elves have the right to report mistreatment. There's been nothing done to truly punish those who have mistreated them."

"I don't understand," Ginny said.

"Basically," she continued, talking very quickly as her cheeks flushed with anger, "the house elf in this case had reported his caretaker twice before for abuse. However, since the current law states that it takes three complaints to ensure a visitation and inspection of the home, nothing was done. Even if he had complained three times, the elf would have just been removed from the home, and that's only if the abuse was serious enough. The caretaker would only be fined and then they would be perfectly allowed to acquire a new elf if they liked." She paused to catch her breath again before slightly shouting, "So, this idiot kills his house elf and now he's ONLY facing a fine of 1,000 Galleons, and I'm the only one who seems to care!"

"Oh, Hermione…"

Hermione shook her head. "I've been working so hard for the last few years to get fairer legislation passed for disadvantaged creatures, but every time I think I've made real progress, something like this happens. I feel like I'm back at square one."

"At least there are people like you out there fighting for them. I mean, look at what you've done for werewolves. Lupin would have been so proud that you single handedly led the push for werewolf employment laws to be rewritten."

Hermione calmed slightly at the thought of this.

"You can't save the world at once," Ginny said, resting her hand on Hermione's shoulder, "but you have to know you are making a difference."

"It just makes me so mad," she said once they stopped across the street from the store they had been looking for. She glanced at Ginny. "But I'll stop talking about it for now. I know how excited you are to do this. You don't need me putting a damper on things with all this work talk."

"If it helps you to feel better about it."

"But it doesn't," she said flatly as they crossed the street. "I'm just working myself up more."

Ginny blinked a few times and stared at her in surprise. On her soap box, preaching of the injustices of the world, was one of Hermione's favorite places to be. Particularly if she was as agitated as she was. Not wanting to talk about it seemed almost odd.

"I do enough of it at work," Hermione said, as if she was suddenly reading Ginny's mind. "I do need a break from it from time to time."

Ginny hid her smile from her as she held the shop door open for her. She knew exactly who had put that way of thinking into her head considering it had practically been Ron's motto to her. If one good thing had come from her brother and Hermione's relationship, it was that Ron had managed to instill a sense of calm into Hermione that helped her to realize that pulling back wasn't always a bad thing. Hermione had done the same for him as far as instilling a sense of urgency.

"Look at all these dresses," Hermione said as she looked around. "That one just there is really nice."

"It is," Ginny said, staring at a sleeveless gown. "Hopefully you'll like the one I picked out as much as—"

"Hello!" said a sales woman who was wearing far too much makeup. "Can I help you with anything today?"

"Hi," Ginny said politely. "I actually have an appointment for a fitting today."

"Wonderful!" said the woman. "Can I have your name?"

"It's Weasley," she said as the woman gestured for the two of them to follow her. "And I also have a bridesmaid gown put aside under Granger."

"Is that you, dear?" the woman asked Hermione.

Hermione nodded as the woman ran a long finger down a ledger.

"Yes, here you are!" she said pleasantly. "Excellent, we'll have you both set up over here in this dressing room. I'll be right back with the gowns."

"Thank you," Ginny said, but the woman had already disappeared behind a curtain.

"I'm excited to finally see it," Hermione said as she sat down on a nearby chair in the dressing room.

"I'm excited for you finally try on yours," Ginny said. "It's nice to finally get you down here."

"I know, I know. I work too much," she said heavily. "Between work, helping you and Harry with the wedding, and making time to see Martin, I have to wonder when I sleep."

"You sleep?" joked Ginny before the sales woman returned with two garment bags in her hands.

"For you," she said to Hermione as she handed her the first bag. "And the other for the bride-to-be. Now, who'd like to go first?"

"She would," Ginny said, pointing to Hermione. "She's yet to even see the dress in person."

"Oh, it's lovely! Go on, then! Right in here." She pulled a curtain back. "And I'll be right back with my things to make alterations."

"Thank you," Hermione said as she stood and took the bag into the dressing room. Ginny took Hermione's vacant seat and hung her dress nearby as she listened to the noises of a garment bag being opened.

"So, how are things with Martin going?" Ginny asked casually.

"Okay, I suppose."

"You suppose?" Ginny asked with an eyebrow raised. "What does that mean?"

"We just got in a small argument last night and we haven't spoken since because I left early this morning for work."

"What was it about?" asked Ginny, doing her best to restrain herself from following with the words, '_this time.'_ The truth was that the last few weeks of Hermione and Martin's relationship had been peppered with "small arguments." Martin, like Hermione, was a workaholic, and while this sort of relationship worked well for them initially—with both of their schedules as tight as they were—in a lot of ways, it caused for quite a bit of friction.

From what Ginny had gathered, their arguments were often round about ways of declaring whose job or work load was more important that particular week—seeing as they both worked in Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures—and which of the two of them was over reacting to the other's claim that they were just too busy for anything else at the moment.

She could hear Hermione sigh heavily from inside the dressing room. "Yesterday, we both were free for dinner, so we decided to make it into a special occasion since," she laughed, "when was the last time we got the chance to do that? Anyway, it was all very sweet and romantic and we ended up talking about your wedding, which led to our future together."

Ginny made a face as she anticipated what Hermione was going to say next.

"All right in there?" the sales woman asked as she reappeared with her hands full of pins.

"Yes, thanks," Hermione said as she stepped out from around the curtain. Ginny smiled widely as the sales woman let out a small gasp and clapped her hands together.

"Beautiful!" the sales woman said. "Look how lovely you look!"

"Hermione," Ginny said excitedly as she watched her step in front of the large full length mirror. "You look amazing!"

"This dress is amazing," Hermione said with a smile and glanced down at it.

"I love this sleeveless number," the sales woman said to Ginny. "And this deep shade of green is lovely with her skin tones."

"It really looks fantastic," Ginny said, circling Hermione in the mirror as the sales woman adjusted her dress. "It's better than I could have imagined. And you barely need any alterations."

"It fits perfect here," Hermione said gesturing to her waste and bust. "It's just a little long."

"And we'll fix that," the sales woman said as she got on her knees to fuss with the bottom of the dress. "With your chestnut hair and eyes, you'll look very earthy wearing this color." She turned towards Ginny. "But why such a dark green for springtime?"

Ginny shrugged. "I like this green. My fiancé likes this green. That was really all we went on."

"Yes," the sales woman said absently. "Your hair color probably pops dramatically against the green. It's almost a shame you'll be wearing white."

"Right…" Ginny said slowly, catching Hermione's eye through the mirror. She seemed to trying to smile.

"Now we need just a few pins here," the sales woman continued as she poked around Hermione's underarm, "And that should do it."

"Great," Hermione said, hoping off the platform in front of the mirror and catching her reflection in it once more before heading back into the dressing room.

"I'll be right back to take care of you," the sales woman said to Ginny as she went to greet a woman who had just entered the store.

"Great dress, Ginny," Hermione said from back inside the changing room. "It feels like it'll be comfortable as well."

"I knew you'd like it," she said happily as she fixed her own hair in the mirror. "Oh, so you have to finish telling me your story about Martin."

"Oh," she said, as if suddenly remembering. "Well, you will never actually believe what he said to me once we got to talking about our possible future together."

"Uh-oh," she said, sensing something troubling in Hermione's tone.

"He mentions that if we were to get married, he'd want to wait a bit to have children. Which is fine, but it's that he wants me to quit my job and stay home to take care of them that I had an issue with."

Ginny's eyes went wide. She knew exactly where this was going.

"I told him that, while I want children one day," she continued in a slight huff, "and that I would take some time off to be with them, there was no way I was giving up my career and what I've worked so hard to achieve."

"Absolutely not."

Hermione appeared from the dressing room. "Well, he didn't seem to understand where I was coming from. He claimed that his mother stayed home with him and that he feels it made him a better person versus whether she would have worked. He doesn't think it's right when a woman who can afford to stay home, doesn't."

Ginny's mouth dropped a little. Did Martin know Hermione at all?

"So, since he would be working," she continued in a patronizing tone, "that means he'd be set to take care of me and that I could afford to stay home."

"And what did you tell him?" Ginny asked as she stood to make her way inside the dressing room.

"Exactly what I said before," Hermione said as she sat down. "I mentioned that my father made plenty of money to support my family, but never would have dreamed that my mother give up her dental practice. I asked him if he even knew me at all, and he tells me that it's not even worth worrying about until we reach that point."

Ginny laughed. "You've got to be joking?"

"I wish," she said, rolling her eyes. "Oh, yes, let me marry and have children with someone who expects time and coercion to change my mind. Perhaps if he ignores the issue now, it'll just disappear in a few years and I'll just settle down."

"He's in for a surprise, then."

"You're damn well right he is," Hermione said, actually swearing. Ginny poked her head out from behind the curtain to look at her. Hermione rarely swore. Ginny had maybe witnessed her do it twice in the years she had known her.

"It just made me so angry," Hermione continued, "as if I need more things in my life to add to the frustration."

"He's mad if he thinks you'd actually do to any of this," Ginny said before disappearing back behind the curtain. "You're mad since you didn't hex him to pieces."

"I know," she said grumpily. "This is a huge issue. He can't expect me to change who I am, and I can't expect him to change what he thinks."

"You're right."

"We've only been together for a little over ten months and it's only just started to really get serious, but I've started to wonder…" She trailed off.

"Wonder what?"

"Well," she began slowly, "perhaps we're both just really stressed out because of work and it's just nerves and what not, but things were so much better early on in our relationship and to see them turn this way—"

"Don't make excuses," Ginny said. "Please Hermione, you were the one who taught me that."

"I'm not. At least, I don't think I am." She paused for a long moment. "I do care about him though, and it's just so disheartening to see him actually think this way. I mean, what would you do if Harry asked you to quit Quidditch to raise your kids?"

Ginny didn't answer right away. "Well, not that I think he'd ask me to, but I'd almost have to quit playing once I started having children, wouldn't I?"

"What?" she asked loudly. "Why?"

"Because it's not exactly recommended, or plausible, to fly around on a broomstick once you're pregnant. Sure, if I had one kid I could easily miss one season, get back into shape, and be back for the next, but…" she hesitated, "I don't want that."

"You don't?"

"No. I want two or three kids, and I want them to be close in age to each other." She sighed. "Sure, my brothers could be prats, but having them there meant the world to me in retrospect. If I wanted to keep playing, then that's a good three to five years at the very least where I would have to kill myself training after every child just to get back into well enough shape to play professional Quidditch…" She paused. "And if I take time off from start to finish, then the team will have moved on without me, as would my career."

"So, you're going to quit?"

"Playing Quidditch, yes," she said. "But I'm not going to quit working. I'd find something else to do or else I'd go mad. To be honest, I've only given it a little thought since there are no kids to speak of yet. When the day comes to really make that decision, I will."

Ginny stepped out from behind the curtain as she spoke these words. Hermione beamed upon seeing her. She was dressed head to toe in a white dress that flowed nearly to the floor as came just off the shoulder. The material was silk-like and hugged her frame in a loose, yet classy way. Ginny could actually see Hermione getting teary eyed.

"Ginny," she said quietly. "You look…There are no words!"

"That's a first," she said, smiling as Hermione got up to inspect her dress.

"This is the sort of thing that makes me realize this is all real," Hermione said warmly.

"I know," she said as they both observed her in the mirror, "and it's a crazy feeling."


	7. An Unplanned Reunion

"It's the strangest feeling in the world when someone you've never met knows so much about your life," Ron said as he and Harry Apparated into an alley way not far from where Harry's flat was. "I mean, this one kid knew my birthday, my O.W.L scores," he paused and shook his head, "I'm surprised he didn't know my favorite food."

"Welcome to my life," Harry said before he shoved his hand into his pockets and laughed, "except they do know my favorite food."

"You were absolutely right," he continued. "The majority of the questions were about Voldemort, and you, and what really happened."

"And you," Harry said. "I could hear most of your presentation from my office."

"Well," he said modestly, "perhaps a few."

"You can deny it all you want, but when you get a chocolate frog card, suddenly everyone cares."

"That was the highlight of my life," Ron said in a whimsical sort of way. "You know that's actually quite an impressive icebreaker with people."

Harry laughed again. "You don't actually say that to people?"

"Like hell I don't," Ron said as he and Harry turned the corner onto Harry's street. They continued laughing all the way to Harry's front door, until Harry reached to push open it and was stopped by some sort of force that slammed it back at him. He jumped back as he exchanged cautious looks with Ron. They both quickly pulled out their wands in alert. Harry reached out to push the door open again when it suddenly cracked opened on its own accord.

"Harry?" said Hermione's voice.

"Who else would it be?" he asked, annoyed at the fact that ten seconds earlier, he was afraid that someone unfamiliar had been in his house; now he was being questioned on his own doorstep.

"Sorry," she said as she popped her head just slightly around the edge of the door. "I didn't mean to startle you. It's just," she turned around to observe something going on inside, "Ginny picked up her wedding dress today and we were looking at it when we heard you coming." She turned back towards him. "It's bad luck for you to see it."

"Oh," he said, glancing at Ron, who shrugged. "Well, can I come in now?"

"Just a few more seconds," she said, opening the door further once she seemed satisfied that Ginny and her dress were out of the way. It was when she did this that she became aware of Ron's presence. "Oh!" she said with a start, noticing him leaning against the wall opposite of her. "Ron!"

Ron smiled a surprisingly collected smile, clearly amused at Hermione's surprise.

"I didn't know you were…" she stammered and glanced at Harry before looking back at Ron. "It's good to see you."

"You too," he said, still acting rather coolly. Harry was actually surprised to see how collected he was. He wasn't even turning red. Perhaps Paris really had changed him.

"Its okay!" shouted Ginny from somewhere inside the house. Hermione immediately stepped aside and allowed for Harry and Ron to pass.

"Um, so where's the toilet?" Ron asked once he entered. He glanced at both Harry and Ginny, who both pointed to a door on the other side of the room.

"We haven't moved it since the last time you were here," Harry added as he watched Ron walk towards it. "It's still in the same place."

"Oh, right," he said obviously. "Of course you haven't."

Harry threw Ginny a curious expression, but she was busy watching Hermione walk out of the room and into the guest bedroom. He followed her gaze before turning back towards her.

"Sorry about that," she said, pointing towards the front door. "You're home a little early."

"Any other surprises hiding around here?" he asked.

"Not on my end," she said as she now looked across the room to the door that Ron had just disappeared behind. "Seems you do, though."

"I invited Ron to hang out," he whispered. "I didn't realize that…" He nodded his head towards the guest room that Hermione had just disappeared into.

"She had a rough day at work and Martin's working late," she whispered back. "And they had an argument earlier, so I invited her to have dinner."

"Well, this should be fun," Harry said with a hesitant smirk, which Ginny quickly returned.

"They were going to run into each other eventually," she said, just as Hermione walked back into the living room.

"Sorry," Hermione said once she rejoined them, her eyes doing an automatic sweep of the room as if looking for something. "I just wanted to make sure my dress was hung so it didn't wrinkle."

Ginny nodded as she and Harry took a seat on the sofa. "Of course," she said before a strange quiet fell over the room.

"You know," Hermione said suddenly. "I do have a lot of work to finish, so perhaps—"

"Hermione," said both Ginny and Harry in unison, just as Ron made his way back into the room. Whatever else Hermione had wanted to say, she didn't. She instead sat slowly in a nearby chair.

"So," Ron said awkwardly. "What's going on everyone?"

"I got my dress today," Ginny said. "Hermione got hers as well."

"Fascinating," he said in a tone that said it was anything but fascinating. "I'm sure they're lovely."

"How was work?"

"Robards is on holiday," Harry said. "So, I was swamped all day. I barely even left the office."

Ginny glanced back at Ron. "Did anything happen on your first day back?"

"Not really," he said, looking at Harry. "The bossman here wouldn't give me an assignment because I hadn't finished my final reports from Paris."

"Why haven't you finished it?" Hermione asked as she watched him.

"I didn't get to it," he said, sounding a little surprised that she had spoken to him. "What with finishing up actual work in Paris, and making plans to come home, I just never got around to it."

"He did a lot of it today, though," Harry offered. "After I made him chat with the Hogwarts's kids."

"They came by our offices, too," Hermione said as she crossed and uncrossed her legs. "The head of my department was complaining all day that he had to talk to them. He's an idiot though, so they probably would have been better off if they hadn't talked to him."

They all made noises of acknowledgment as a forced silence fell over the room once more. As it was, Ron and Hermione seemed to be looking everywhere but at each other.

Ginny stood up. "Does anyone want a drink? Maybe some wine?"

"Yes," Ron and Hermione said together, causing both to look at one another. Ron cracked a small smile.

"I'll help," Hermione offered before quickly standing to follow Ginny into the kitchen.

Harry waited until the girls disappeared into the kitchen and out of earshot before glancing at Ron. "Well, you two aren't awkward or anything."

"You think?" Ron said sarcastically. He turned towards the kitchen so as to make sure no one was listening. "I just get this feeling she doesn't even want to be in the same room as me."

"That's not true," Harry said. "She was telling me and Ginny how she was hoping to work out your friendship once you moved back. It's just weird because this is what? The first time you've seen each other in over a year?"

"This is the most time we've spent in a room together since we split up."

"Good to get it out of the way, then. You two need to work all of this," he made a general gesture in the air with his hands, "out."

"Well, since it's obviously that easy," he said, giving Harry a hard look.

"I'm tired of being the mediator," Harry whispered harshly as Hermione and Ginny reentered the room. He gave Ron a knowing look as Ginny handed him an empty glass. Hermione uncorked the bottle and started to poor herself a glass before moving on to fill Harry's and then Ginny's. As she reached for Ron's, she met his eyes.

"It's merlot," she said. "It's all they have."

"That's okay," he said, offering her his glass.

Hermione looked skeptical. "You don't like merlot."

"Well, I didn't," he said. "After spending enough time around wine drinkers the past year, I sort of got used to it."

"Look at you," Ginny said as she and Harry avidly watched the two of them. "Paris has made Ron able to appreciate our humble wine collection."

"I think you mean pathetic collection," Harry said he draped his arm over the back of the sofa.

Hermione smiled. "I know what to get you two for Christmas, then."

"You know," Ron said as Hermione handed him back his glass. "I bet I can guess the year of this wine."

"No…" Ginny said as the three of them watched Ron swirl his glass, take a sip, and then swish it around in his mouth. He smacked his lips a few times as he thoughtfully considered the wine in question.

"2001," he finally said. Hermione immediately looked down at the bottle in her hands, as Harry stood to join her and look for himself.

"Is he right?" Ginny asked.

"How the hell...?" Harry asked as he and Hermione both looked back at Ron in surprise.

Ron shrugged and smiled. "I don't reveal my secrets."

"Wow, Ron," said Ginny, looking genuinely impressed. "Who knew you'd become such a wine connoisseur?"

"Not me." He laughed as he leaned back in his chair. "I saw the label when Hermione was pouring it earlier."

"I knew it…" Harry said, though Hermione and Ginny laughed. In an instant, the mood became considerably lighter. It was as if someone had sucked the present tension out of the room with a large hose; things felt amicable again. They felt friendly. Perhaps it was the wine, but even a few hours later, as the group now found themselves in various positions around the living room, talking and recollecting on the past, things felt as normal as could be. It, of course, didn't change the fact that things had changed, but the lack of apparent awkwardness on Ron and Hermione's part was a welcome relief to everyone.

"And the look on Ron's face," Hermione said from a chair. "It was priceless."

"I didn't see it!" Ginny said, grinning at her brother from the sofa.

"Of course you didn't see it," Ron said from the floor next to the chair Hermione was sitting in. "You were too busy snogging Harry!"

"I remember it," Harry said as he kicked his feet up on the coffee table. "I remember spending quite a few moments during sixth year wondering what Ron's reaction would be. He was the first person I was looking for in that room after we kissed."

"I wasn't mad," Ron said. "Just surprised."

"I was thrilled," Hermione said happily. "Still am."

"It all worked out in the end though, didn't it?" Ron asked as he glanced at Harry and Ginny on the sofa, where Ginny was learning comfortably onto Harry.

"Ron," Hermione said, looking down at him. "You really should have been there the day Harry proposed."

"You were pretty much the only one missing," Harry said, shaking his head. "It was as if I was putting on a performance."

"You were such a ball of nerves beforehand," Hermione said as she rested her head on her hand.

"I wasn't that bad," he said.

Ginny looked up at him and smiled. "He didn't seem very nervous," she said. "He went right to it and it was sweet."

"As sweet as it could have been in a loading dock," Harry joked.

"I can't believe you did it there," Ron said, shaking his head. "I'm sorry I missed all of that." He sighed. "I miss everything, don't I?"

"No, just that," Harry said. "You'll be there for everything else."

"Yeah, well it seems like I miss everything," Ron said after he drained the bottom of the glass. "Or perhaps I'm just imagining things."

"You are," Harry said.

Ginny laughed. "Now you know how I felt for all those years, when it was just the three of you in that impenetrable bubble."

"Impenetrable?" Hermione asked with a smile. "I don't know if I would call it—"

"I would," Harry interrupted, taking another sip. "You two were my rock no matter what. I mean, you still are, but…" He trailed off. "Well, you know."

"Yeah," Ron said quietly as he stared at the ground. "We were a close group."

"We still are," Hermione said before she hiccupped. "I mean, I like to think we are." She hiccupped again. "Can be, could be…whatever."

"Well, it's different now," Harry said, staring at both Ron and Hermione and his face suddenly harder. "And to be completely honest, it's crap."

Ginny elbowed him in the side.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Hermione asked in a genuinely curious tone.

"You know exactly what it means," he said obviously.

"I may have an idea," she said, "but, Harry, if you have something to say—"

"You really need me to say it?" he asked. "You want me to say how crap it is for my two oldest and best friends in the world to barely speak to each other for the last year? How the two people who have been to hell and back with me, and have dealt with things I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy, act as if their breakup affected no one else but themselves?"

Hermione and Ron said nothing. Ginny sat up. "Well then," she said awkwardly, "I think that's enough wine."

"Harry," Hermione said finally, sitting up straight. "I know Ron and I haven't exactly made things easy for you," she glanced at Ron, who kept his eyes focused on the floor, "or for you, Ginny. We're both probably guilty of being selfish for making you deal with us and choose between us, but we're working on it. I miss the good old days as much as you do, but all I can offer is that I'm more than willing to work on things now. I can't speak for Ron—"

"No, you can," he said, not looking up. "I feel the same way."

"And tonight is a step in the right direction," she continued. "I've had fun and I've laughed with Ron and you like we haven't done in a long time."

"Yeah..." Ron nodded in agreement.

The room went quiet again as Harry suddenly rubbed his eyes and sighed. "Look, I'm sorry. I've had too much to drink and I've just got a lot on my mind. I didn't mean to—"

"No, it's okay," Ron said once he finally looked up. "You just said what we all knew you were thinking."

"Yeah, but I shouldn't have just gone off like that on the two of you."

Ron smirked. "But Harry, that's what you do."

"He's right," Hermione agreed. "It is sort of your thing."

"Oh, thanks," he said sarcastically, but smiled somewhat guiltily at the two of them.

"We just speak the truth," Ron said before he stood up and stretched her arms. "On that note, I think I'm going to take off."

"I should probably get going, too," Hermione said as she checked the clock on the wall.

"Are you still staying at Mum and Dad's, Ron?" Ginny asked, just as she and Harry stood with them.

"Yeah," he said as he started to walk towards the door. "I haven't really had a chance to look for a new place yet."

"I'm surprised you're not staying with George," Hermione said.

"He's got a flatmate now," Ron said before he opened the front door. "I didn't really expect him to keep the room empty once I moved to Paris." He pulled on his cloak. "Anyway, I'll see you tomorrow, Harry. Night all."

"Hey, Ron," Hermione called after him. "Wait a second." She turned back towards Harry and Ginny. "I'll see you later."

"Don't forget your dress," Ginny said to Hermione as she walked quickly into the guest room to fetch it for her. Harry leaned against the door frame observing both Ron and Hermione as they stood there. He opened his mouth to speak, but Ginny reappeared and handed Hermione her dress before he could.

"Bye," Hermione said as she took several steps outside towards Ron. The sound of the door being shut behind them reverberated into the street.

"What's up?" Ron asked as she approached.

"I meant what I said in there," she said while she folded her garment bag over her arm, "about wanting to make our friendship work again."

He shrugged. "Yeah, I did too."

"Okay," she said with a half smile. "I just don't want things to be weird. I want to be able to hang out with you like we used to."

Ron nodded. "Yeah. Sure."

"Great," she said with an awkward glance down the street. "Well, goodnight, then."

"Yeah. Night," he said as he observed her before she suddenly disappeared with a small pop. He hesitated as he stared at the spot she had just been standing in for a long moment before he glanced both ways to make sure no one was looking. Within seconds, he, too, disappeared.


	8. Ron's Secret

The sun was shining brightly in Diagon Alley as Ron made his way through the procession of shops towards the Leaky Cauldron. He had been given a routine assignment of treading down Knockturn Alley on the report of suspicious behavior being witnessed there. Of course, suspicious behavior in Knockturn Alley was about as common as the sky being blue. It was another ridiculously easy assignment given to him by Harry since he still hadn't finished his discharge work from the French Ministry. Until that was completed and signed off on, he was considered a liability to the British department.

"You've got to have it all done by the time Robards is back," Harry had said to him earlier that day. "He'd have your head by now if he were here."

"Well," Ron had said before turning to leave on his assignment, "I appreciate you going easy on me."

"Seriously, Ron. I'm technically not even allowed to send you down to Knockturn Alley if you're not signed off—" Whatever Harry had said after that, Ron hadn't heard him. He had left the office and come straight to Diagon Alley, where'd he'd spent the entire morning mulling about in various places.

As he came to the brick wall that divided Diagon Alley from Muggle London via the Leaky Cauldron, he tapped his wand to the wall and watched as the bricks moved aside to let him pass into the pub. The change in lighting from the bright streets of Diagon Alley to darker pub was enough to make Ron blink a few times as he struggled to see around the room.

"Hey Ron!" a familiar voice said. "Over here!"

Ron squinted across the room until he managed to pick George and Bill sitting at a table against the wall. "Hey guys," he said once joined them. "Sorry I'm late. Did you order already?"

"I had to," Bill said. "I've only got twenty more minutes before I have to get back to Gringotts."

"I didn't," George said while stretching. "I've got all the time in the world."

"Business slow today?" Ron asked as he picked up a menu.

"On the contrary," he said. "It's been quite steady. But I finally hired a new manager to replace you."

"Finally?" Ron asked. "George I haven't worked there in ages."

"You're irreplaceable," he said dryly. "No, actually, I was just lazy. I did the job myself until it just got to be too much what with trying to visit and supervise the Hogsmeade shop on top of this one. So I went and hired a new girl who's really whipped the staff into shape." He paused. "I must have been too easy on them, because the efficiency of that place now is almost odd, to be honest. I feel much more at home in Hogsmeade. I've got Lee over there running that place, so it feels more normal."

"Normal meaning chaotic?" Ron asked.

"Only when the Hogwarts's students file down in droves," George said. "And I live for the chaos. I thrive in it. Although, I will admit that the efficiency over here at the Diagon shop is definitely increasing profits leaps and bounds."

"I wonder why," Bill said as he and Ron exchanged smiles.

"What's with this place?" Ron asked as he looked around the pub. "Look at the menu. It seems nicer or something."

"The Leaky?" asked George before he looked around as well. "You haven't heard? It's under new management. Old Tom finally went and retired a few weeks ago. It was big news."

"Really?"

"Yeah, it's still going through quite a few changes, but the food's better already," Bill said. "It's the only reason I agreed to meet you guys for lunch here."

"There's the new landlady now," George said as he caught her attention from across the room and waved her over.

"Hello," said friendly faced woman with blonde hair and round eyes who suddenly approached at the table. "And what can I get you today?"

"Tuna on toast please, Hannah," said George. "And some more tea please, when you get the chance."

"I'll have the same, I guess," Ron said before looking up from the menu and at the woman standing there. "Wait a minute, I know you."

She smiled. "And I know you, Ron Weasley."

"Hannah, right?" he asked as he started to realize. "Hannah Abbott. I haven't seen you in years."

"It has been some time," she said. "I never did go back to finish my last year of school."

"I never went back for mine either," Ron said as he nodded to George. "I went to work with him."

"So, I heard," she said with a small laugh. "George had told me you're an Auror now. Impressive."

"It's a living," he said modestly as he gestured around the pub. "And this is your place now?"

She nodded. "I just bought it a few weeks ago from Tom." She sighed. "I want to put a lot of work into it, but not change a lot at the same time, since it's got so much history."

"Change as much as you want," Bill said honestly. "Please do."

She laughed a little. "I've had quite a few people tell me that," she said as she made to excuse herself. "But let me go and put this order in and I'll be back around." She looked down at Ron. "You'll have to tell me what life in Paris is like. I hear that's where you're living now."

"_Was_ living," George corrected as Hannah started to step back towards the kitchen. "He's back permanently now."

"Maybe not," Ron mumbled as he began drumming his fingers anxiously on the table.

"How's that?" Bill asked.

"Are you planning on going back to Paris?" said George at the same time.

"I don't know," Ron said heavily as the both of them watched him. "I might. I sort of want to."

"What do you mean you sort of want to?" George asked.

"Gerrard," Ron began earnestly, "he's the head of the French Auror department. Well, you two may not believe it, but I ended up doing amazingly well over there. Better than I thought I could, and all the while, I was really enjoying myself. I found myself really loving Paris and everything." He paused. "Anyway, the other day, Gerrard sends me a letter saying that a permanent position would be opening up soon, and that I was the first person he thought of for the job."

Bill and George said nothing.

"And I'm thinking about taking it," he said obviously.

"You're thinking about moving to Paris permanently?"

"Well, maybe not forever," he said. "But in the meantime, yeah."

"When would you leave?" Bill asked.

"I'd have to decide by the 19th," Ron said. "I'd be back to work on the first of May."

"So, you have a little less than two weeks to think about this," George said. "I can't believe you actually want to move there."

"Why not?" Ron asked as his face got a little red. "What's here that's holding me back?"

George had nothing to say, though Bill shrugged. "I don't think it's a bad idea. If it's what you want to do. I mean, there are plenty of times that I wish I was still back in Egypt cracking curses instead of working at the bank here. Hell, Charlie was depressed as anything when he had to make the move back here from Romania after of his accident. He's itching to get back out there. This could be really good for you, Ron."

"What'd Harry say about all this?" George asked.

Ron made a face. "I haven't told him. I didn't figure I'd have to tell him unless I was positive I was going. Plus, with the wedding coming up, it's not worth bothering him with."

"Harry has pulled a lot of strings for you," Bill said. "He helped you get through the training process quicker than normal, and if you're planning on picking up and going to Paris, you do owe it to him—"

"That's actually part of the reason I want to go to Paris," he said bluntly. "I mean, Harry's my best mate, but…" He took a deep breath. "It's nice to get away and do things on my own."

"Is that why you haven't even started looking for a new place to live?" George asked. "Mum told me she's been on you about it and that you've said very little about the matter."

"Yeah." He nodded. "It's the same reason I haven't actually finished my discharge papers from the French Ministry either, even though Harry's been on my case about them. I'm lucky Harry's in charge this week, because Robards would never have given me the leeway Harry has."

"You're seriously considering this?" George asked.

Ron sighed. "I don't know. I'm not fully sold on Paris yet, but I'd say I'm definitely leaning towards going more than not."

"We'd come visit you more often," Bill said. "Fleur would love even more excuses to go home."

"That's incentive enough to stay," George said just as Hannah returned and started laying food out on the table. Bill rolled his eyes at him.

"Anything else I can get you?" she asked.

"Looks great," George said with a smile that Hannah returned before she started to walk away. He made no point in hiding the fact that he was watching her go. "You know, I don't remember her from school."

"She was in Hufflepuff," Ron said. "And in my year, and in Dumbledore's Army."

"Obviously I wasn't paying attention," George said as he took a bite of his sandwich. "But she's a sweet girl. Cute, too. Too bad she's got herself a boyfriend."

"Let me guess," Ron asked. "You tried to ask her out already?"

"Crashed and burned," Bill joked.

"Because she has a boyfriend," George said obviously. "Or so she says."

Bill laughed. "She's probably making it up just to get you to go away," Ron found himself snickering too, but George ignored them both.

"I've wondered that," he said. "I've never seen any blokes around here that seem like they would be her boyfriend."

"How often do you come in here?"

"A few times a week," George said. "And before you say anything, I used to come in here just as much as when Tom was running the place. It's just the closest place to my flat."

"You could cook?" Bill suggested.

George made an appalled face.

"You're hopeless," Bill said.

"You know, Ron," George continued as he ignored Bill. "You're friendly with her. Go find out if she really does have a boyfriend."

"Why?" he asked, chewing his sandwich. "So you can find out she really doesn't, and that she actually does just want you to leave her alone?"

"I'm just curious. I only asked her the once. It's not as if I sit here and harass her. I'm just nosey as to what kind of guy she's after."

"I'm not doing it."

"Of course not," George said with mock disappointment. "First you quit on me to become an Auror, then you decide to move to Paris, and now you can't even do this for me."

Bill laughed as Ron threw a chip at George. "And you actually wonder why I want to move to Paris?"

* * *

"It'll just be a minute," George had said after lunch once he and Ron made their way back into Diagon Alley towards Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. Ron had protested that he really didn't have the time to dawdle, considering he had to get back to the Ministry, but George thought it would be good if Ron popped in to say hello to all of his old coworkers. "They want to see what you're up to," George added as the bell on the shop door tinkled once opened. He gestured for Ron to walk ahead of him, where, just inside, a man in a magenta robe was demonstrating a product to a small crowd of onlookers.

"And you see," the man said to a boy of about ten. "The ink magically vanishes as soon as the intended reader has viewed the message! It's perfect for passing notes with your friends without nosy people looking where they don't belong!"

"Jonas is still the top salesman I've got," George said to Ron.

"That ink stuff," Ron said as he pointed. "That's new."

"I know," George said. "It took me months to get it figured out, but it's at the stage where it does what I want it to." He paused and watched Jonas demonstrate the product for the onlookers. "It was a pain in the arse. My problem was that while the message would disappear after the intended person read it, it wouldn't do it for hours at a time." He looked at Ron. "And what good is that when the whole novelty of the product is to make sure the message disappears right away?"

"It's pretty impressive."

George sighed. "I ended up figuring it out on accident," he said as he made his way behind the shop counter. "It had been so obvious. The sort of thing Fred would have seen right away..." He trailed off and grew suddenly quiet.

Ron smiled fondly as he leaned up against the front counter and observed everything around him. "You've moved a lot of stuff around since I was last here."

"Ever growing and ever changing," George said as his previous upbeat tone returned. "The shop next door may be going out of business, so I'm actually thinking of expanding more."

"Wow, really?"

"Most likely," he said casually as he started to flip through the daily sales ledger. "Not a bad pull for the day so far."

"Not bad at all," said a woman who appeared from the back suddenly. "By the way, George, I re-shelved the entire storage room. It was far too confusing back there."

"I've always meant to do that," George said lazily. "I never got around to it, though."

"Well," the girl said as she pulled her blonde hair back into a pony tail, "now you can put it off even longer." She glanced at Ron and smiled. "Hi, I'm Lydia." She reached out her hand.

"Oh," George said, "Lydia this is my kid brother, Ron. Ron, this is Lydia. She's the new manager I was telling you about." He turned towards Lydia. "He used to do your job, but he never went so far as to re-shelf the storage room."

"I'm not that brave," Ron said.

"And here I thought I heard you were an Auror?" she said, still smiling at him.

"Yeah," he said with a small smile, "but they don't teach you how to deal with stuff like that in training."

Lydia laughed as Jonas jumped behind the counter to cash a customer out. "Hey, Ron! How have you been, mate?"

"Good," he said as he stepped to the side so that the customer in question could make their purchase. "Really good."

"Glad to hear it," he said pleasantly as he addressed the customer. "That'll be seven Galleons, four sickles."

"And you're the one who just got back from Paris, right?" Lydia asked.

"Oh, you just wait a second," George said abruptly as he glared as his brother. "He may be headed right back because he's a dirty traitor."

Lydia looked confused as she turned from George to Ron, but Ron simply shrugged and grinned. "I may be moving back," he clarified. "George doesn't exactly approve just yet." He checked his watch. "Speaking of which, I may not have a job to go back to if I don't get back."

"I see," she said, casting George an amused look before she turned and smiled at Ron again. "Well, that's too bad that you may be leaving so soon after getting back."

"Hey, Lydia?" Jonas asked suddenly. "Do we have anymore of the fake wands in the back? These nice people just bought the last of the ones up front."

"Yes, I believe we have an entire box," she said with a friendly smile at the customers. "I'll go have a look." She threw Ron one final glance, her smile suddenly changing to one that seemed far more sincere. "It was nice to meet you."

"You too," he said as he felt a strong urge to smile as she walked away. He turned back towards George, but was surprised to see him staring straight back at him. "What?"

"You tell me," George said. "What was that?"

Ron looked confused. "I don't know what you mean?"

"You're an idiot," he whispered under his breath as Jonas wished the customers a wonderful day as they left. "And a piss poor flirt I might add."

"What the hell are you—?"

"For some reason," George said, "I've gone and hired myself a girl who's going blind, or partly there already, because she was positively beaming at you."

Ron laughed. "She was not."

"Mate," Jonas said as his super positive customer service attitude dropped several degrees to a far more casual tone, "I was dealing with the customers over here and I could tell she was flirting with you."

"She wasn't," Ron said, though his tone didn't sound entirely convinced.

"She's a really nice girl," George said as he put his quill down and leaned in towards his brother. "And better looking than a lot of the girls you could pull."

"Oh, yeah?" Ron asked. "Then why haven't you asked her out?"

"Because I'm her employer," he said obviously. "Plus, she's a little too clever for my tastes. But hey, you love clever girls."

"What do you want me to do?" Ron asked, wondering where this was going. "I've got to get back to work."

"Ask her out," George said as if it was the most obvious realization in the world. "It'll take a few seconds."

"I just met her."

"Which is why you ask her out to get to know her better," he said, looking at Ron as if he had second head. "And you're honestly bright enough to be an Auror?"

"Maybe another time," Ron said before he started to make his way towards the door.

"Why wait?" George called after him. "I mean hey, maybe you two will hit it off and you'll have a reason worth staying in England for."

"Nice try. I'll see you later."

"Hey," George said, just as Ron put his hand on the doorknob to pull it open. "Didn't you say you needed a date to Ginny and Harry's wedding? You know, so that when Hermione shows up with her boyfriend…"

Ron slowly stopped and turned around to look at his brother, his face full of sudden thought. "You really think she was flirting with me?"

"I'd bet money on it," George said, right as Lydia suddenly reappeared with a large box in her hands.

"Oh, you're still here," she said pleasantly when she noticed Ron standing by the door.

"Yeah," he said, still looking at George before turning towards her. "Here, let me help you with that box."

"I swear, you have to spell it out for that one," George mumbled to Jonas as he watched Ron take the box and walk towards the front of the store with Lydia. "Sometimes I wonder how we're related."

"Harry and Ginny are getting married?" Jonas asked.

George made a face. "Damn it…"


	9. The Breakup

The all too familiar halls of Hogwarts always brought Harry a sense of calm and happiness upon returning to them. Considering that he went through so much while he was here, he couldn't help but feel as if he was as much a part of this institution as the portraits and the suits of armors that lined the halls were. Hogwarts would always feel like home to him. No matter his age or where he went in life.

"It's weird being back," Ron said as the two of them made their way down the Grand Staircase. Several students were whispering and pointing, while others were snapping pictures. This had been the case every year Harry made the trip back to Hogwarts to talk to the students about the battle that had taken place here six years previously. What had started out as a favor three years ago for McGonagall and the new headmaster had now turned into a sort of a tradition for not only Harry, but the students as well. An informative treat for the seventh-years to help to break up their N.E.W.T studies.

"I always like coming back," Harry said as they entered the entrance hall on the bottom floor. "The lecture went well. You know the kids we talked to today were in their first year here when the battle took place? Some of the questions and stories they have of being evacuated from the school that night are pretty interesting to take in."

Ron shuddered. "Some of the stories they have of the Carrows beating them during their first year are horrifying."

"Next year will be strange," Harry said once they walked past the Great Hall. "It'll be the first group I'll talk to that wasn't there that night in some way. I'll miss the stories they have."

"I'm glad you made me come," Ron said as they noticed Professor McGonagall walking towards them. "You're right. It's a different sort of experience than the usual sort of thing."

"Yeah," Harry said. "That and I didn't really have much of a choice since I can't send you anywhere else. Don't forget that Robards is back in two days…"

"I know," Ron said distractedly as he smiled at McGonagall just as she put her hand on Harry's shoulder.

"Wonderful job, Mr. Potter," she said. "You managed to hold those students' attentions in a way I haven't seen since they were small and actually intimidated by me."

"You still intimidate me, Professor," Ron joked.

"Well, I'm glad to hear it," she said. "I always enjoy seeing you both—" She stopped to scold a nearby student for yelling a swear word before she turned back and added, "but I'll be seeing the two of you again shortly."

"So, I can tell Ginny that's a yes?" Harry asked.

"Why of course, Mr. Potter," she said with a small trace of a smile crossing her lips before she turned to follow up on scolding the foul mouthed student.

"Come on," Harry said to Ron. "Let's go down and see Hagrid. I always go down for a visit when I'm here."

"Okay," he said as they made their way towards the large double front doors. Ron couldn't help but wave merrily at Argus Filch as they passed. He snarled in return.

"Still just as friendly, I see. I wonder what happened to his bloody cat?"

"She died," Harry said once the sunlight hit them the second they were outside, "or so Hagrid told me last time I was up here."

"Such a shame," Ron said without remorse just as they both noticed Professor Sprout hobbling up the front stairs towards them.

"Hello, Professor," said Harry.

"Oh, Mr. Potter," she said. "And Mr. Weasley. What a wonderful surprise! How coincidental it is that I should have just talked to Mr. Longbottom as well."

"Neville's here?" Ron and Harry asked at the same time.

"Yes. He's interviewing for the soon to be vacant Herbology position."

"Soon to be vacant?"

Professor Sprout laughed. "Oh, yes. I've been considering retirement for quite some time now, but I've just found it so difficult to leave the job." She sighed. "I do hope Mr. Longbottom gets the position, though. He was always one of my favorites and I know he truly would make students love the subject as he does."

"Neville? A professor?" said Ron in a clearly amused tone. "Who'd have thought?"

"We should see if we can find him," Harry said. "I haven't seen him in forever."

"I'm on my way to the headmaster's office right now," Sprout said. "It's where he should be almost finishing up. Are you leaving?"

"No, we'll be down at Hagrid's hut for a visit," he said. "At least for a bit."

"Oh, well, I'll let him know," she said before she bid the two of them goodbye and hobbled inside of the castle.

"It'll be good to see Neville," Ron said as the two of them continued across the grounds.

"We would have seen him in a week's time," Harry said. "We got his R.S.V.P in the post yesterday. Longbottom plus one. I think Ginny would have killed him if he had said he wasn't coming."

"Plus one?"

"Yeah. Ginny said he's seeing someone."

"Anyone we know?"

"She didn't say. She heard it from Luna."

"Ginny got a hold of Luna?"

"She managed to get our wedding invitation," he said. "She wrote Ginny a twelve page letter filled with drawings and photos. It was actually really cool. Anyway, I guess she randomly ran into Neville at some sort of flower festival in Holland and they caught up. Apparently, Neville's been rather hard to get a hold himself because he took the last year off to do some traveling."

"Go figure," Ron mused as they approached Hagrid's hut. He leaned forward to knock on the door, but it flew open just as he had lifted his fist.

"Harry!" Hagrid said happily. "Ron!"

"Hey, Hagrid," they both said in mixed unison.

Hagrid immediately stood aside to usher them into the hut. "How are ya?" he asked cheerfully, a fresh grey streak of hair standing visibly against his dark beard. "Let me get some tea started."

"I'm fantastic," said Harry. "How about you?"

"Ah, ya know," he said as he laid some rock cakes out on the table. "I've got to teach a class in a half hour and I was afraid I wouldn't have the chance to see ya." He turned his back on them to fuss with the tea kettle. "How 'er Ginny and Hermione?"

"They're both doing well," Harry said was he pushed the plate of rock cakes towards Ron. He vehemently shook his head.

"Glad to hear it," Hagrid said as he set the kettle on the stove. "How's the wedding planning going?"

"Sometimes I think dealing with Death Eaters was easier," Harry joked.

Hagrid chuckled. "I'm really excited for ya, Harry," he said fondly. "I can still remember holding ya in my arms as a baby and you were just this little thing, all cut up. And now…" he sniffled before dabbing his eyes with his shirt sleeve. "And then Ginny. I still remember her when she was just this little girl in here during her first-year."

Harry and Ron exchanged amused looks as Hagrid blew his nose on the tablecloth.

"I have a feeling you're going to get a lot of that," Ron said.

"I'm bracing myself," said Harry as the kettle began to whistle on the stove top. Ron made a motion for Hagrid to sit as he stood to take care of it.

"Are ya expecting a lot of people?" Hagrid asked.

"I don't know. We invited a load of people to the reception and so far everyone's pretty much responded saying they're coming."

"How have ya managed to keep it so quiet?" Hagrid asked. "I mean, ya invited all these people and the press isn't talking about it—"

"No more than they usually do," Harry interrupted once Ron reappeared at the table. "The papers are always saying I'm getting married or having kids or whatever as it is, so for once, I'm just using it to my advantage. Besides word of mouth, they don't have any proof. They constantly have someone trying to sell them a story about me, but they don't even know what to believe anymore."

"Not that it stops them from printing any of it," Ron added.

"They'd need some real proof to get really excited about it," Harry continued, "and all they'd have now are the invitations, but we used this invisible ink stuff on them that George Weasley sells at his shops."

"So, that's why when I went to look back at the invitation all the stuff had disappeared," Hagrid said.

"Exactly," he said. "That's why we actually wrote at the top to write this stuff down because the invitation would disappear after just a few moments."

"You'll probably have a handful of people forget the date," Ron said.

Harry shrugged. "The ones that matter will show up."

Hagrid stared from Harry to Ron and then nonchalantly reached for a quill and piece of parchment on the table.

"April 17th," Harry said before Hagrid had to ask. "The ceremony is at 5:00 in Avebury in a clearing at the north of town."

Ron hid his laughter as Hagrid wrote it all down and looked up at Harry sheepishly. "Sorry, Harry. I missed the part about taking the information all down because it would disappear."

"That's why I'm telling you now," Harry said, sounding unfazed. "I want to make sure you're there."

"I would have made it there one way or another," Hagrid said proudly as a sudden knock at the door made him turn. He stood and Harry leaned himself back in his chair in order to see around Hagrid to the outside. He had a good feeling he already knew who was there.

"Hi, Hagrid," said a bearded version of the Neville Longbottom that Harry and Ron had grown up with. "How are you?"

"Is that Neville Longbottom!?" Hagrid said, turning around towards Harry. "Look who it is?!"

"Well, actually," Neville said with a modest laugh as Hagrid gestured for him to enter. "It's soon to be Professor Longbottom."

"You got the job?" Ron asked as he greeted him. "You're going to be a professor?"

He smiled and nodded.

"What's this about being a professor?" Hagrid asked as he pulled an extra chair away from the wall and towards the table.

"Herbology," he said, sitting along with everyone else. "Professor Sprout is retiring at the end of this term and actually wrote me personally to let me know the position would be open."

"So, it's you?" Harry asked. "Officially?"

"Officially," he said. "Just met with the headmaster and interviewed with him. He said he was impressed with my research work over the last couple of years and the fact that Professor Sprout sings my praises." He paused and smiled again. "He offered it to me just now."

"Geez, Neville," Ron said in amazement. "You're going to be a professor."

"It's mad isn't it?" Neville said. "I'll be teaching kids."

"You'll be teaching my kids," Ron said. "Whenever I decide to have them."

"Congratulations!" Hagrid said as he raised his teacup in salute. "Wow, Neville, we'll be coworkers!"

"Cheers," he said happily as he took in his surroundings. "But hey, enough about me. How are you all? Ron, I haven't seen you since the last time I popped into your brother's store and that was definitely before I left for Africa."

"You went to Africa?"

"For six months," he said, "to study the water plants of the Nile river valley. Then I spent a spell in the Australian Outback before heading back west. It's all research for the book I'm writing."

"Book?" Ron asked. "Damn, Neville..."

"It's not as exciting as it sounds," he said. "Trust me, when I start to get in depth about what it is I've been doing, I tend to put people to sleep." He glanced at Harry. "People are far more interested in finding out how I killed a snake when I was seventeen. You wouldn't believe some of the versions I've heard."

"I actually would believe it," Harry said with a smirk.

Neville grinned. "But yeah, it'll be nice to actually get some stability here at Hogwarts for once. Are you running the Auror department yet, Harry?"

"Not quite," he said with a laugh. "I have been lately, though. My superior is on holiday."

Ron smiled. "He does a bang up job. He orders us around like the best of them!"

"You're an Auror now, too?" Neville asked as he leaned back in his chair. "I had no idea."

"Yeah, I quit the shop a little over a year ago and actually went after my dream." He shrugged. "Took me a few years to get there, but I eventually got back on track."

"Nothing wrong with that," said Neville. "Sometimes it's nice to explore options before settling down."

"I'll agree with that," Hagrid said, raising his teacup in salute once more.

"Oh, hey!" said Neville, as if he just remembered. "You'll never guess who I ran into a few weeks ago."

"Luna," said Ron and Harry together.

Neville looked startled by their accuracy. "All right, perhaps you will guess…"

"Ginny," Harry explained. "Luna wrote her and mentioned it."

"Oh," he said with a small laugh. "Well, yeah. I did. She looks fantastic and seems really happy. If you think what I've been up to is interesting, you should hear half of the things she's been doing. From what I gathered, she's headed to Canada this winter to live with a group of Eskimos while she searches for some sort of snow nymph or something. I couldn't even keep up with what she was saying."

"Why does that not surprise me," said Harry fondly. "But you'll be seeing her again soon. She'll be at the wedding."

"That should be fun," he said as he reached up and scratched his chin through his beard.

"I've always thought about growing a beard like yours," Ron said. "It looks itchy, though."

"At first, but you get used it."

"You do," Hagrid said as he began to absently stroke his. "Gosh, I don't even remember what I looked like without one."

"I did it because I just got tired of shaving when I was living in a tent and up to my waist in swamp muck," Neville said. "Plus, it makes me look older…Or so I'm told."

Ron laughed. "Who tells you that?"

"Hey now," Neville said in mock offense. "A few people do. My Grams for instance. My girlfriend for another."

"Oh, yeah, who's this girlfriend?" Harry asked. "Some exotic herbologist you met on your travels?"

"Love at first branch?" Ron asked.

"Not exactly," Neville said slowly. "Actually, it's someone you all know. It's pretty new. We just started dating when I got back from Holland."

"Who is it, then?" Hagrid asked.

"Do you all remember Hannah Abbott?" Neville asked as Ron's eyes went wide. "She was in our year at school."

"You're the boyfriend!" Ron said as he pointed at him.

"I am?" he asked. "I mean, I am, but…"

"No," Ron began, "it's just, we had lunch at the Leaky Cauldron the other day and we ran into her."

"Didn't she just buy it from Tom?" asked Hagrid.

"She did," Neville said proudly. "She's really excited about that. She's got some great plans for it."

"Tom retired?" Harry asked. "Where have I been?"

"Locked up running the Auror department and planning your wedding," Ron said before turning back towards Neville. "You'll have to stop by George's shop and let him know it's you she's dating."

"She already told me about him asking her out," Neville said with a modest smile. "The thirteen-year-old in me kind of enjoys getting the girl over him. I won't lie."

"Good for you," Ron said. "I promise she's better off, and I say this as his brother."

Hagrid chuckled. "George will find some girl that's a perfect fit for him one day."

"She'll be a very special sort of girl," Ron mumbled, making a face.

"Last time I saw him, he seemed to be dating all kinds of girls," Neville said. "It was surprising because I never remembered him being like that in school. He was always pretty calm while Fred was more—"

"You don't remember because he wasn't," Ron said heavily. "That all came after my brother died. We all thought it was a bit odd at first, because for awhile he just shut down. Then one day, it was like an explosion. Suddenly he was really social and going out all the time and there was girl after girl after girl and…" He shrugged. "I don't know. I figure this behavior has got to be healthier than the constant drinking and refusing to leave his house."

"Yeah, he was pretty bad for awhile there after Fred passed," Harry added.

"It's good he's turned himself around," Hagrid said. "I still say he'll eventually find someone that will help sort him out."

"With his taste in women," Ron said. "I'll believe it when I see it."

"Aren't you going out with a girl tonight that he fixed you up with?" Harry asked. "You'd think you'd be a bit more worried if you're leaving it up to George."

"He didn't really fix me up," Ron corrected. "She works for him and I met her at the—"

"Wait," Neville interrupted, looking completely confused. "You're not with Hermione anymore?"

Ron stared at him. "Oh, um, no. We split up awhile ago."

"What?"

"I was surprised too," Hagrid said quietly as Ron found himself looking at Harry for support. Harry in turn was looking out the window.

"Um, yeah," he said hesitantly. "It was last year."

"Really?" Neville asked. "I would have never thought…I know I'm late here, but I'm just really surprised."

Ron shrugged.

"Are you two still friends?"

"Working on it," he said as Harry cast a glance in his direction. "We just started talking again since I spent the last year in Paris."

"What happened?" Neville asked, glancing slowly at Harry.

"We'll be here all day," Ron said with an uncomfortable laugh.

"Oh," Hagrid said as he stood and looked out his window. "Well, you're welcome to stay here and tell it if you'd like. I just see my next class coming down, so I've got to go and greet them."

"Maybe we should…?" Ron said, gesturing to Harry and then the door.

"Don't you worry about it," said Hagrid, not seeming to realize that the topic at hand wasn't exactly something Ron was excited to talk about. "Just make sure to say bye if you're leaving." With that, he picked up a nearby spade and cheerfully waved as he exited.

"It's okay," Neville said. "You don't have to if it's—"

"No," Ron said heavily. "No, it's okay. It's not even that big a deal anymore."

Harry leaned back his chair back and stared at the ceiling as Ron began to tell the story that he'd heard so many times before. So many times in fact, he himself felt as if he could give an accurate account of the events that transpired over the course of the end of Ron and Hermione's relationship. Of course, the story was slightly different whether you heard it from Hermione or from Ron, but he had managed to cut through the heart of both of their versions to get to the truth eventually. The truth came with far more back story than either Ron or Hermione ever let on.

After Fred Weasley had died, George was left not only without a twin brother, but without a partner. Without the other half to a business that the two of them had started from scratch. He had taken the death of Fred harder than any of the others, and in the weeks and months following his brother's death, he ended up having—what many considered—to be a breakdown. As a result, Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes had also begun to suffer at great lengths because of George's lack of attention to it. He didn't seem to care. He felt he just couldn't do it without Fred.

It was Ron and Hermione who felt that what George needed was someone to help him get not only himself back on track, but his business as well. It was Ron, with the help of Lee Jordan, who began to cover the slack that George couldn't handle, and it was Ron who went in and made sure the shop was open for business everyday so as to not let Fred's dream die along with him. Ron never seemed to mind putting his dreams of becoming an Auror on the backburner for a bit. After all, he had just experienced the battle of a lifetime and almost felt as if working at the joke shop for a year would be an enjoyable break. Plus, he was helping his brother in his time of need and, after a bit of coaxing, George did come around. He eventually fell back into a lot of his old habits, even though he was never quite the same George that he used to be without his brother by his side.

The problems for Ron started when his temporary position suddenly started to become anything but that. The after-war business that the joke shop ended up receiving took off in a way that none of them could have anticipated. More staff was needed to cover the influx of people, and an entire new location was constructed in Hogsmeade to meet the demands of crowds. Money began pouring in left and right, and for Ron, who had grown up with little to no money his entire life, it was all he could have ever dreamed of. He knew it was far more money than he would have ever made as an Auror; he knew that if he kept this up, he could get him all the things he'd ever wanted in life.

Yet, it wasn't that easy. The money was there, but so were the long hours and the resentment of doing a job that he didn't enjoy. He and Hermione were both working long and late hours at their respective jobs—she spending her time peddling new reforms for werewolf employment— and the lack of contact and time together soon wore on them both. They began to argue about never seeing each other, and decided that a fix to this problem would be to move in together.

This solution worked for about a year. Ron and Hermione did grow closer and happier as they saw each other more and more. However, Ron's depression from working a job that made him miserable was starting to become more evident as time wore on. He was surrounded by people who loved and excelled at their jobs: Hermione in the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, Ginny in Quidditch, George as an entrepreneur, and then Harry as an Auror—the later striking him the hardest, since Harry was living the life that Ron wanted for himself.

As much as Ron wanted to quit the store, he was terrified of the thought of being poor again. It was something that haunted him. He'd gotten himself out and he refused to let himself be dragged back down. He'd already saved enough money to buy a place to live, and felt that if he stayed on track, he could easily support Hermione in a life she deserved. In fact, with the income the two of them brought in together, they were already making more money than most people double their ages were; he didn't want to lose that. He wanted to make sure that he and Hermione could have whatever they wanted one day. If it took a few years of backbreaking work at a job he hated, it would be worth it.

However, no matter how much he told himself this, he couldn't stage off the bitterness and resentment of not doing what he wanted to do while everyone around him was. Ron himself didn't realize how much he had started to complain or snap at people for random things until Hermione confronted him one day. When he did confess his fears to her, she didn't seem to feel it was an issue that wasn't solvable. She felt he should just quit the store and become an Auror like he wanted to, and insisted to him it wasn't hard. She, however, didn't seem to understand how afraid he was to quit and lose everything, and often told him he was worrying too much when he mentioned it. Of course, this made Ron feel worse. It only caused the strain on their relationship to grow even larger.

The nagging on Hermione's part and the complaining on Ron's part got to be too much for the both of them. For a two month period, they both grew distant and became so on edge that they would fight about the dumbest of things. It got to the point where work soon became a refuge for the both of them and, eventually, it was Ron who said he couldn't take the strain anymore.

"I don't remember what exactly I thought would come from that conversation," Ron said several minutes later as he finished telling Neville his version of the story. "But I didn't mean that I wanted to split up. That's the way she took it, though. And then the next thing I know she was saying that this was something we both needed to do for ourselves."

Harry let his chair drop back to the ground. In Hermione's version, it was Ron who said that he was the one who wanted to split up. It was the one part of the story that he hadn't managed to truly figure out since they both always contended that it was the other who wanted the breakup.

"So, to make an already long story longer," Ron said casually as he shrugged his shoulders. "I moved out and moved in with George for a bit. After about a month on my own, I realized that without Hermione, I didn't see the point in sticking it out at the shop. I'd saved a bunch and the money just didn't seem as important anymore. So, I quit. I went straight to Harry and he helped me get accepted into the department, and helped push me through training rather quickly. I finished it while I was in Paris…" He paused. "And now I'm here."

"Wow," Neville said. "That's involved."

"You asked for it," he said as he cracked his knuckles. "It's weird, I feel like I've told that story to so many people and yet that's the first time I've told it in forever and not felt strange about it."

"Is strange how sometimes time heals things, isn't it?" Harry joked.

"Yeah," Ron said as he began to stare out the window. "I suppose it is."


	10. It's What Friends Do

"I'm taking a long lunch, Swenda," said Hermione as she approached the desk of the receptionist in her office. She was struggling to get a hold of her bag and the other items she was carrying; awkwardly shifting them around to prevent dropping anything.

"Is that why you were here so early this morning?" Swenda asked. "Big plans?"

"Errands to run," Hermione said with a tired smile. "I have a friend getting married in a few days and I have to plan a party among other things."

"Do you ever have free time, Hermione?"

Hermione grinned before waving goodbye and making her way towards the lifts. She juggled a small box from one hand to the other as she pushed the button to go down. As the door opened, a man with blonde hair stepped out, his face buried in a folder.

"Martin," Hermione said as she grabbed him by the elbow.

He looked up and smiled. "Oh, hi. Where are you headed?"

"Errands to run," she said as she took a few steps forward to enter the lift. "Do you want to come and grab lunch with me?"

"I really need to wrap this up," he held up the folder, "but are you headed to Diagon Alley?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Do you think you could stop by the apothecary and pick me up some Damiana?"

Hermione staggered. Damiana was commonly used as an aphrodisiac and sexual stimulant.

"It's for my anxiety," he said as a smile crossed his face. "It's got a few uses, but don't think I didn't know what you were thinking."

"Are you that stressed?" she asked.

"It's always helped me," he said as someone called his name. "I make tea with it and it calms me down."

"I suppose I can," she said as she gave him a half smile, just before the lift door began to crank shut.

"I'll try to come over later, though," he said before Hermione watched the doors slam shut and he disappeared behind them. She sighed.

"Long day?" asked the man operating the lift.

"Everyday is a long day if you do it right," she said wearily.

The lift cranked noisily to the bottom floor where she exited into the large and noisy atrium. People were milling around on their own lunch breaks, or lost in their own worlds of thought as she navigated her way towards the opposite side of the room and towards the cafeteria. She wasn't hungry, but she knew she had to eat something or else she'd never get the chance. Her schedule didn't allow for diversions from her day's plan very often.

Not surprisingly, the cafeteria was busy. Witches and wizards were laughing and arguing about every conceivable thing there was to argue about, all while they enjoyed the small break that they had in a day full of work. Hermione had always thought how interesting it would be to spend a day just sitting here and observing everyone. The things one could learn just by surrounding themselves with some of the greatest minds in magic today…while they ate.

She picked up a pre-made sandwich and made her was down to the elderly witch sitting behind the cash register. "Is that all?" the woman asked.

"Yes, thanks," Hermione said as she searched around in her bag for some change.

"You sure you don't want an apple or something?" she asked. "You look like you could do with a good lunch."

Hermione's head snapped up to look at her. "Pardon me?"

"You young people are just so on the go nowadays that you're skin and bones," she said, handing Hermione back her change. "When I was your age, people would have thought I was ill if I was a thin as some as you girls."

"I'll take that into account," Hermione said in a forced tone as she grabbed her sandwich and turned to exit. She glanced down at herself. Too thin? Who did this woman think she was?

She grabbed a handful of napkins and glanced around the room to find somewhere to sit. The room was crowded, and empty spots were few and far between as she scanned the tables for a familiar face.

"Oh, there we are," she said to herself as she noticed two people rising from a small table against the wall. She made a quick dash to the other side of the room, juggling all of her things and just managing to snag the table as its previous occupants turned to leave.

"Hermione."

She looked up as she dropped all of her things down. It was Ron.

"Oh, hi, Ron," she said as she glanced at the woman he was standing with. She recognized her as an Auror, but couldn't place her name.

"Not very hungry, then?" he asked, glancing down at her lunch.

"Hungry enough," she said once she took a seat. "I don't have much time to eat."

"You can never be that busy."

"No." She smirked. "_You_ can never be that busy."

"Oh, I forgot," he said. "You were always capable of finding ways to cut eating, sleeping, and all those other essentials out of your day in order to fit in more things to do."

Hermione made a face, as if to comment on what exactly he meant by that, but he was smiling as though he was kidding around. She had far too much on her mind to press the issue further. Plus, seeing Ron made her suddenly remember an idea she had been entertaining earlier that day.

"You know," she said. "I could really use your help with this party I'm planning for Harry and Ginny."

"What do you need from me?"

"When do you think you'll have some time to talk about it?"

He turned towards the woman who was waiting for him. "I'll catch up later," he said. The woman nodded and turned away; he turned back to Hermione and sat down across from her at the table. "I've got some time now."

"Oh," she said, surprised that he had actually sat. "I was actually just going to eat this really quickly and then head over to Diagon Alley to run some errands. I didn't think right now—"

"That works out, then," he said. "I'm headed down to Knockturn Alley anyway."

"Why are you headed down there?" she asked, looking slightly perturbed by the idea.

"We keep getting some reports of odd happenings down there. Someone needs to investigate."

"And that someone gets to be you?" she asked before taking a bite of her sandwich.

"There's not much I can do otherwise."

"Don't tell me you still haven't finished your discharge paperwork," she said with a stern face. "Ron…"

He suddenly looked defensive and opened his mouth to say something, but for some reason, closed it; instead he smiled.

"It's not funny, Ron," Hermione said.

"I know it's not," he said with a small laugh. "It's just that it's been awhile since I've gotten a lecture out of you."

"I've got plenty," she said as she smirked into her sandwich. "Where should I start?"

"Since when did I start getting a choice?"

"Why haven't you finished your work?" she asked seriously. "You've never been this—" She stopped abruptly, seemingly having second thoughts about finishing that sentence.

"Lazy?" he asked.

"That's not what I was going to say."

"So, what were you going to say?" he asked as yet another smile crossed his face. "Irresponsible?"

"Somewhere in the middle."

"I have my reasons," he said before he suddenly started absently studying his thumb nail. "I had a two hour meeting with Robards this morning to talk about it in fact."

"Two hours to talk to your boss about how you're not finishing your work?"

"Something like that," he mumbled, sounding strangely elusive. Whether the elusiveness was intentional or not, Hermione couldn't tell. She merely stared at him until he added, "Anyway, so what do you need to do in Diagon Alley?"

She gestured towards a box on the table. "I told Ginny I'd drop that box off and I have a few books on reserve at Flourish and Blotts that I need to pick up. Then I was thinking of stopping by the Leaky Cauldron to see if it is right for the party I want throw for Harry and Ginny. I'm told it's a lot friendlier now that it's under new management, but I wanted to check it out for myself." She looked at him. "And as best man, your opinion and cooperation is appreciated."

"Why are you throwing them a party?"

"It's customary," she said. "People have stag and doe parties all the time."

Ron blinked. "I was already planning on throwing a stag party for Harry."

"I thought you might be. That's why I thought we could combine his and Ginny's and have one large party."

"Why would we do that?" he asked, seemingly shocked by the idea.

"Why wouldn't we?"

"Because a stag party is just that," he said. "It's supposed to be a last hurrah with your mates where you go get pissed and have a laugh. And a doe party is—" He paused. "I don't know, don't you all knit or something?"

She frowned.

"I was kidding, Hermione."

"Harry's my friend, too," she said. "Why is it that because I'm a woman, I can't enjoy his party as well?"

"Because you're a woman," he said. Almost instinctively, he held up his hand to cut-off Hermione's inevitable protest. "And I say that because you're not interested in the things guys do during their stag parties, not because you are _in fact_ a woman."

"Doe parties can involve just as much debauchery as a stag party can," she said pointedly. "I'm sure more so, sometimes."

Ron made an uncomfortable face. "This is my sister you're talking about."

"Which is why," she said quickly, "we should combine them. If we have one large party, then everyone gets to get together and have a good time."

"Isn't that what the reception is for?"

"There's a slight difference," she said as she crumbled up her sandwich wrapper. "I wasn't exactly planning on inviting your Aunt Muriel to this party."

"If you pulled that off I'd be impressed," he said, watching her as she stood, "considering she passed away a few months ago."

Hermione's face dropped. "Oh, I'm sorry. Ginny never mentioned..."

He shrugged and stood. "We weren't exactly close. Plus, she was practically a thousand."

"I only remember her from Bill's wedding," she mused. "She was—"

"A bitch?"

"Ron, don't speak ill of the dead," she said before she began leading the way towards the exit.

"I'm not speaking ill," he said. "I'm stating fact."

Hermione shook her head, though she hid her smirk as she pulled out her wand and turned to him. "The Leaky Cauldron?"

"See you there," he said.

Seconds later, Hermione found herself standing inside the pub she'd passed through so many times in her youth, but found herself so rarely visiting in the last few years. As her eyes adjusted to the room, she noticed Ron appear several feet away. Their eyes met and he gestured in a manner so to say_, "after you_."

"It's changed a bit, hasn't it?" she asked as she looked around.

"The food's a lot better," he said, waving to someone behind the counter.

Hermione's gaze followed his wave. "Is that Hannah Abbott?"

"Meet the new management," he said once Hannah smiled warmly at them.

"Hi, Ron," she said before looking at Hermione. "Hermione. Hi. It's good to see you."

"Hannah," she said pleasantly. "I had no idea you had taken over."

"Are you two eating?"

"Just passing through," Ron said.

"Actually," Hermione said as she glanced around the pub, "I was planning on throwing a party in a few days, and I'm looking for a place to have it."

"A party?" Hannah asked. "What kind of party?"

"Just a handful of people," she said, waving her hand in a general motion. "It's for some friends who are getting married. Sort of a last hurrah."

Ron smirked.

"For Harry and Ginny, right?" Hannah whispered.

Hermione's face dropped. "How did you know?"

"She's invited," Ron said with a nod towards Hannah.

"I don't remember her being—" Hermione began, though Ron quickly interrupted.

"So, what do you think about us throwing a party here?"

Hannah considered this. "Well, I'd love the business. I can't guarantee that I can keep it private though, what with the lodgers I have and the people who pass through to get to Diagon Alley. I know how important it is to keep this all quiet."

"That's fine," Ron said. "We'd just have to keep the fact that it's more or less a stag party—"

"Co-stag and doe party," Hermione corrected.

"Yeah…what she said," Ron added slowly. "We'd just have to keep our intentions rather quiet."

"I'd definitely be willing to accommodate," Hannah said brightly. "I'm really looking to turn this place around, and I'm hoping to make the pub life here a bit more," she glanced over towards an older wizard who had fallen asleep on the bar, "festive."

"We can do festive," Ron said, smiling at Hermione. "So, next Friday?"

"That's what I was planning," Hermione said. "Do you agree?"

"I wouldn't have suggested it if I didn't."

"Great minds think alike," Hannah said before she went to grab a piece of parchment and write the date down.

"Great minds," Ron repeated with a smile. "Hear that?"

Hermione grinned, but said nothing as Hannah returned and started to scribble some information down.

"Do you know how many people to expect?"

Ron and Hermione looked at each other. "Did you invite anyone yet?" he asked.

"Not yet," she said. "I didn't have anywhere to tell people to go."

"We'll get back to you," he said. "Oh, and hey, do me a favor and let Neville know his presence is required."

Hermione gave him a perplexed look, but Hannah smiled and said, "I'll do that."

"Thanks, Hannah," Ron said, nudging Hermione and pointing towards Diagon Alley. "Shall we go?"

"Yes…" she said slowly, though watching him curiously. "We'll see you later, Hannah."

"What is that look for?" Ron asked as they stepped into the back alley where a solid brick wall separated them from Diagon Alley.

"Since when are you 'in-the-know' about everything?" she asked. "You just got home and you already know who's dating whom?"

Ron tapped the wall with his wand. "I ran into Neville a few days ago at Hogwarts. He mentioned he and Hannah were seeing each other. Would you really consider that in-the-know?"

"It's more than you used know," she said as the wall began to open.

Ron made a face. Hermione realized what she had said. "I didn't mean it like that," she said awkwardly. "I meant that you used to never care or know who was dating who or who was doing what. You could never be bothered."

"I knew what you meant," he said as they both started walking down the street and towards the shops. They walked in silence for several moments as she observed Ron tucking his hands into his pockets. She suddenly felt a little awkward next to him. She had kept the façade up for this long, but the truth was that actually spending time with Ron for the first time in ages was doing a number on her.

She didn't know how she felt. She had anticipated this moment ever since she realized that this wedding would force him and her to see each other again; she would be kidding herself is she said she didn't miss him. Relationship or not, she had become especially accustomed to his presence over the years, and after their breakup, the void that his absence had caused was larger than she ever thought it could have been. She lost her boyfriend and her best friend at the exact same moment. It had taken a lot of strength to move on from that, and though she was content that she had done just that, the void he had left never quite filled entirely.

She had hoped more than anything that the two of them could reconcile as friends. She knew things would never be the same as they once were, but she couldn't bear the thought of Ron being absent from her life forever. Over the last few days, she had run through several possible scenarios in her head about how things may be between them. Would he be a jerk? Would he be a mess around her? Would he want to talk about things?

Now that that moment was here, she couldn't figure out what he was. He was acting as if they didn't have a five year relationship behind them. He was almost acting as if nothing had ever happened. This wasn't something she hadn't anticipated.

"Neville's going to be teaching in the fall," Ron said suddenly. "Herbology."

"Is he?" she asked, thankful for the random topic of conversation. "Professor Sprout is retiring?"

He nodded. "So, it'll be Professor Longbottom soon enough."

She smiled. "How exciting for him. You know, sometimes I think I should have become a teacher."

"I can't see you as a teacher."

"You can't?"

"Nah," he said with a shrug. "I see you doing bigger and better things."

"Teachers can do great things," she said. "Look at Dumbledore."

"You're right, but I don't know. Teaching just never seemed like enough of a challenge for you." He smiled. "You want to save the world now. Not one kid at time."

"Yes, but isn't one kid at a time the way to do it, though?"

"In a perfect world," he said, "but unless you've got a classroom full of kids like you were, you'd have to wait too long for results." He stopped walking. "You're not one for waiting."

She grinned at him, wondering where all of this perceptive analysis of her was coming from.

"There's that look again," he said.

"Who are you?" she asked with a small laugh. "I mean, honestly, who is this man standing in front of me? What did Paris do the Ron I knew so well?"

"What's wrong with me now?" he asked with mock offense.

"Nothing's wrong. It's just," she looked him up and down, "different."

"Good or bad different?"

"Does what I think really matter?"

"You know it does," he said seriously. "That's a dumb question."

She considered this for moment. "You know Ron, as long as you're happy, then it's a good thing."

"I am happy."

"I'm really glad to hear that," she said sincerely. The thought of the depressed Ron she had known at the end of their relationship quickly crossed her mind. "And I mean that."

He smiled, but said nothing.

She smiled, too. "I'm really glad we can do this," she added. "You know, hang out together."

"I am too," he said, his ears getting slightly pink. Hermione could always tell when Ron was being sincere when this happened. His tells were all too obvious to her. She always knew when he was lying or being less than honest about something simply by watching his face.

"I have to run into the apothecary," she said, gesturing towards a building on her right. "If you want to go ahead and go on to Knockturn Alley, I'll see you later."

"Trying to get rid of me?"

"No," she said. "I just figured you needed to get to work."

"Knockturn Alley isn't going anywhere," he said. "And weird shit is always going on down there. We get constant reports from people who wander down there on accident and witness something they don't approve of. It's usually the nutters just doing what they do, but it's nothing illegal. We give it a once over every week just to keep people happy, but honestly, getting assigned it is more of a joke than anything."

"You know, you wouldn't be getting the joke assignment if you just finished your work already. I mean, it almost seems like you're not doing your discharge paperwork on purpose, Ron."

He stared at her, his expression strange. "What makes you think that?"

"I don't know. It just does." She watched his face. "Are you not doing it on purpose?"

"Of course I'm not," he said almost too quickly. "It's just a lot more rigorous than people think. Harry was being nice when he said I didn't have a lot to do."

She continued to watch his face. He was hiding something. She wanted to press the issue further, but realized that now probably wasn't best time. She and Ron were getting along. Accusing him of hiding something and lying wasn't going to help further things into a more positive territory.

"What do you need from the apothecary?" he asked, making an obvious attempt to change the subject.

"Oh, I need…" she began casually, until she remembered that what she needed was a well-known aphrodisiac. This was something that she wasn't exactly comfortable telling her ex-boyfriend about. "I need nothing."

"I hear nothing is on sale," he joked.

"Good," she said with an uneasy smile. "I can get extra, then."

He shrugged. "Suit yourself. I'll wait outside."

She was thankful for this as she quickly popped into the store, purchased a package of the potent herbal plant and—after making sure the shop keeper thoroughly knew of its anti-anxiety effects—appeared back onto the street to see Ron leaning against the side of the building.

"Did you get your nothing?"

"What?" she asked once she made sure the package was well stuffed into her bag. "Oh, yes."

"Great," he said as she stood up straight. "Where did you need to take that package to?" He gestured to the package in her hands that she had been carrying all afternoon.

"This?" she asked as she started to walk quickly away from the apothecary. "Oh, I'm just dropping it off at your brother's store."

"What's in it?"

"It's left over ink that he let us use for the wedding invitations. He said to just return whatever we didn't use. Fancy a trip to your old stomping grounds?"

"Not particularly," he said before they turned the corner towards Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, "but if it keeps me out of Knockturn Alley for another few minutes, I will."

They chatted casually for a few minutes until they reached the front door of the shop, where George was standing in the front window fussing with a display. Ron tapped on the glass to get his attention, which caused George to turn, glance from Ron to Hermione, and make a face that seemed to say that he never expected these two particular people to be standing together outside of his shop window. He waved for them to come in.

"You two, huh?" he asked. "I didn't think I'd see this day any time soon."

"Hello to you, too, George," Hermione said as she made her way towards the front counter.

"Oh, Hermione, did you bring me a present?!" he said with fake enthusiasm.

"It's the ink you gave to Ginny," she said. "I told her I'd drop by and return it since I was in the neighborhood."

"Excellent," he began opening the box, "because my stock was running low." He turned around to search for a pad and quill. "So, what brought the two of you together?"

"We friends," Ron said. "Friends hang out."

"Glad to hear you're burying all the animosity," he said distractedly, still busying himself by looking for a quill. "I know I just had a quill here a second ago. Unless, they stole it…"

"They?" Ron asked.

Hermione opened her bag. "Here, I have one," she said, reaching inside of her bag and yanking one out. The force of her pulling the quill out of her bag so quickly forced the package she had lodged so tightly inside to come out as well. It fell to the floor.

"I've got it!" she said urgently, but Ron had already leaned over to pick it up. He handed it back to her without a second glance at it, which she quickly snatched it from him. She could feel her face getting hot, and hoped she wasn't as red as she felt.

"Are you ok?" Ron asked as he stared at her. Apparently, she was as red as she felt.

"I'm fine," she said, throwing a quick glance at George. He was watching the entire display with amusement.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of," George said with a smirk. "I mean, we all have our things, Hermione."

"I don't even want to know what you're talking about," she said, her face still red. "I have to go. I have a few other things I have to do before I get back to work."

"Next time, I could get you a break on Damaina if you'd like," George continued. "I use it in some of my products and, when I buy it in bulk, I can usually get it for half of what you pay down the street."

Ron's face went pink as Hermione's face flushed with both anger and embarrassment. If looks could kill, George Weasley would be dead on the spot.

"For your information," she stammered, her voice trembling with annoyance, "it's not for me."

"Maybe not personally," he chuckled, "but one way or another, I'm sure you'll reap the benefits."

"George…" Ron muttered under his breath. His face was only a few shades lighter than Hermione's.

"It just so happens," she said matter-of-factly, still glaring at George, "that it's also used to all alleviate anxiety."

"And depression if I've done my research correctly," he said without skipping a beat, "but we all know what people really use it for."

"Shut up, George," said both Hermione and Ron at the same time. In that same moment, she turned even redder and stormed towards the door.

"Do you always have to be such a bloody prat?" Ron asked George before following after her. "Hey, Hermione! Wait up."

"I've really got to get back to work," she said angrily as she walked quickly down the street.

"Ignore him," he said. "You know how he can be. Who cares if you use—?"

"It's not mine," she repeated as she stopped in the middle of the street. "Why on earth would I need that for, for, for," she stammered, "_that!_"

"I don't know," he said honestly.

"I don't."

"I know that," he said before quickly countering with, "—er, I knew that." He ran his hand through his hair uncomfortably. "So, wait are you depressed, or anxious, or something?"

"It's not mine," she repeated again. "It's—" She gaped for a brief second, finally resigning her attempts and deciding to just tell him the truth. "It's Martin's."

"Oh," he said flatly. "He's your boyfriend, right?"

"Right," she said as a sudden rush of calm overcame her. "Yes. He has bad anxiety sometimes."

"Sorry to hear it," he said uncomfortably.

"Yeah," she said as she looked at him. She suddenly felt incredibly uncomfortable talking about Martin in front of Ron. Worse yet, no matter how many times she denied it, she knew that the thought of the more popular use of Damania was now running through his head. It felt wrong to her to be displaying her relationship like this to him so soon after they had just started speaking again. He was single and—

"Ron?" a female voice said from behind Hermione. She turned to see a pretty blonde girl in magenta robes, smiling in their direction.

"Oh, hey," Ron said with an embarrassed smile, casting Hermione a quick look before stepping towards the girl. "How's it going?"

"Good," she said as she smiled politely at Hermione. "Hi, I'm Lydia."

"Hermione," Hermione said, wondering who on earth this girl was.

"Hermione Granger?" Lydia asked as her smile grew wider. She glanced at Ron and seemed to realize. "Oh, well, of course you are!"

She smiled curiously.

"I've always been," she hesitated and laughed a little, "well, a fan is the wrong word, but an admirer of some of the things I've read about you."

"Read about me?"

"Well, of course. All the things you and Harry Potter and," she looked at Ron and smiled, "Ron did. It's all so fascinating. Plus, your work in the Ministry is inspiring. I actually remember you from school. You were a few years ahead of me."

"I'm flattered," she said, glancing at Ron. He looked rather anxious.

"I'm sorry," Lydia said. "I feel like an idiot standing here saying all of this about what you all have done. Ron's probably tired of hearing it, what with how I kept talking about it the other night."

"Probably," Hermione said, throwing Ron a curious smirk. He was avoiding her eyes.

"I should let you both get back to what you were doing," she said. "I have to be off to work. It was nice meeting you." She turned to Ron. "Nice seeing you again, Ron."

"Umm," he stammered, "yeah, we'll talk later."

"I'm looking forward to it," she said with a small wave before heading away down the street. Hermione watched as Ron slowly turned back towards her.

"She seems nice," Hermione said. "Are you two…?"

"Not really," he said quickly. "Well, I mean, sort of." He hesitated. "We went on one date."

"No need to explain," she said, still smiling at him. "She's a little young, isn't she?"

"She's twenty-one," he said defensively. The awkwardness in his face seemed to suddenly disappear.

"Just turned?" she asked trying not to a laugh.

Ron looked challenged. He crossed his arms and threw a patronizing smile at her. "You don't really think I believe that your boyfriend takes Damania for anxiety, do you? That's if, it's even actually for him."

Hermione's jaw dropped.

"You started it," he said innocently. "You take a piss, I take a piss. It's what friends do." He paused. "It's what we do."

She considered these words and continued to take him in for a long moment. She finally smiled slowly. "Well, at least you haven't completely changed, Ron."

"I suppose that's a bad thing."

"I didn't say that," she said seriously as she continued to watch him. The chiming of a nearby bell suddenly jolted her back to her senses and made her realize the time. "Oh, I really should be getting back to work."

"I probably should do some myself," he said. "I'll see you later though, I'm sure. We'll keep this up." He gestured between them. "It's been far too long since we've really bantered."

"I wouldn't know what to do with myself if we didn't," she joked.

He smiled before he turned to walk in the opposite direction. "Bye, Hermione."

"Bye," she said before she, too, turned and began walking back down the street. She started to smiled. That had gone well. Better than to be expected, actually. She and Ron had joked, and laughed, and had a pleasant afternoon of being completely civil with each other. It was really all she could have hoped for.

She laughed to herself as the image of an awkward Ron standing there with her and Lydia crossed her thoughts. She wasn't quite sure why she was so amused by that, but she was. Apparently, he was happily moving on with his life, which was good. Plus, it seemed that talking about Martin in front of him really wasn't such a bad thing after all. Perhaps soon enough, they could even actually really talk about their significant others with each other…

She stopped and shook her head. No, that would never feel right. It was one thing not to be bothered by seeing him with another girl, but it was another thing to hear about. She sighed as she stopped walking in order to Apparate back to the Ministry. She found herself thinking about how impressed she was with herself for not being bothered by the thought of Ron with another girl. For some reason, she always thought it would nag at her—more out of habit than anything. But it wasn't nagging at her. Not at all. Not one bit…At least, that's what she was telling herself.


	11. Dress Robes and Gobstones

"Iz zis not ze most adorable dress that you 'ave ever seen?" Fleur asked excitedly as she observed Victoire standing in the center of the Weasleys' living room. Victoire beamed at Ginny, Hermione, and Mrs. Weasley, all of whom were all sitting on the sofa watching her. She was wearing a sweet green dress with lace at the collars and cuffs. With her fair skin and strawberry blonde hair, she looked like a doll.

"Victoire," Molly said. "You look beautiful!"

"Thank you," she said before she did a small curtsy. Fleur clapped proudly.

"It's great, Fleur," Ginny said as she stood to inspect the dress closer. "And yes, Vicki, you look absolutely lovely in it." Victoire beamed even more as Ginny reached down to touch the fabric. "I think she'll end up stealing the show from me at my own wedding."

"Mum said I can get my hair done," Victoire said happily. "And I have a bow that will match the dress, and she said I could wear it, too."

"You absolutely can," Ginny said with a smile. "Thank you for agreeing to be in my wedding."

"Oh, but I wanted to!" she said. "I'm so excited."

"All right," Fleur said, going over and taking Victoire by the hand. "We 'ad better change before you get ze dress all wrinkled."

"Do I have to?" Victoire asked.

"Yes, yes," she said as she took her daughter by the hand and led her away to change. Ginny turned back towards Hermione and her mother.

"She is adorable."

"And so clever!" Molly said. "She gets that from Bill."

"Fleur was pretty quick, too," Hermione said. "She was a Triwizard Champion."

"Of course," Molly said obviously, "but I just see a lot of Bill in her."

"Well, she looks just like Fleur," Ginny said before she sat back down. "Her hair's a little darker and her eyes are rounder, but otherwise, she's like a mini version of her. The same with Dominique."

"And with Louis," Molly added, "I always thought he looked just as Bill did when he was baby, but lately, he's actually starting to look a lot like Percy and Ron did when they were smaller. He acts just like his father, though. Such a patient and quick witted boy. They're all so sharp."

Ginny smiled. There was no stopping her mother when it came to bragging about her grandchildren.

"Okay," said Harry as he suddenly walked into the room. "Teddy made me promise that he'd only have to wear his robes for five minutes and then he could change back."

Ginny laughed. "What's he going to do the day of the wedding?"

"I may have to bribe him with something," he said as he peeked back around the corner and made a gesture to someone in the other room.

"Five minutes?" came the sound of Teddy's voice.

"I promise," Harry said, turning back towards Ginny and throwing her a funny smile. "Five minutes."

"We just want to make sure it fits, Ted," Ginny said encouragingly.

"I can tell you it fits," he said from the other room. "I'm wearing it."

"Come on, buddy," Harry urged, just as Teddy's bright turquoise hair entered the room dressed in a small set of very dark green dress robes. He looked annoyed.

"Oh, you look great," Ginny said.

"How handsome," Molly said with a smile.

"You really do look very smart," Hermione said, standing up to take a better look at him.

"I hate it," he mumbled as his hair color suddenly started to fade to brown as he stood there.

"The sleeves are a little long," Ginny said to Harry, "but otherwise it fits fine."

"Oh, I can take those in," Molly said. "Don't worry about that."

"Teddy," Ginny said as she dropped to one knee, "why do you hate the dress robes so much?"

"Because they're stupid," he said as he crossed his arms grumpily in front of his chest.

"You know, Harry will be wearing them, too."

Teddy looked up at Harry, who nodded.

"We're just asking you to wear them for a couple of hours," she said. "Would you do that for me and Harry?"

Teddy didn't say anything.

"I told him I'd even take him to buy him a black pair of trainers so that he didn't have to wear dress shoes," Harry said. "He says the dress shoes hurt his feet."

"Look at that," Ginny said, trying to get Teddy to look her in the eye. "Is there anything else that would make them more comfortable?"

Teddy shrugged as the frown on his face softened. "I'll do it for you, if I have to," he mumbled, glancing from Ginny to Harry. They both smiled at each other as Fleur and Victoire reentered the room.

"Teddy!" Victoire said excitedly. "Is that what you're wearing to the wedding?"

"Yes…"

"Oh, he and Victoire will look just precious walking down ze aisle together," Fleur said happily as she began to observe Teddy.

Teddy suddenly looked grumpy again.

"You do look very nice," Victoire said with a smile. After the words came out of her mouth, she suddenly blushed. Teddy, however, started the floor looking rather embarrassed.

Harry nudged him. "What do you say when someone says something nice, Teddy?"

"Thank you," he mumbled in forced tone. Victoire smiled.

"All right," Harry said to him. "You can go change back."

Teddy's face lit up. Without a second's hesitation, he bolted from the room.

"I better make sure he doesn't try to hide those robes," Harry said as an after thought before quickly following after him.

"And that's that," Ginny said with a relieved smile. "Wardrobe is taken care of."

"It feels nice to have something completely done," Hermione said, returning to her seat on the sofa. "Doesn't it?"

"It's a huge weight off to finally be getting some things squared away."

"I cannot believe ze wedding iz just days away," Fleur said. "It makes me remember my own wedding."

"What a day that was," Molly said heavily, as if she suddenly remembered something specific.

"Was it beautiful?" Victoire asked.

"Yes, it was very beautiful," Molly said to her granddaughter. "It was right here in the back garden. It was the prettiest the yard had ever looked."

"Until some uninvited guests showed up," Ginny mumbled, shaking her head.

"Who showed up?" Victoire asked.

"Just some bad people," Fleur said with a wave of her hand. "Zey just wanted to start trouble."

Victoire looked worried. "Aunt Ginny, these bad people won't be at your wedding, will they?"

Ginny grinned. "No, Vicki. Harry made sure they wouldn't be."

"That's good," she said matter-of-factly.

"I still regret not being able to have my wedding in France as I always dreamed," Fleur said absently. "I am glad that you have the freedom to 'ave your wedding where ever you choose to, Ginny."

"Paris is in France," Victoire said.

"Yes, it iz," her mother said proudly. "Very good."

"And that's where Uncle Ron is going, right?" Victoire asked.

"No," Ginny corrected her. "Uncle Ron just got back from Paris. He's not going back."

"But I thought Dad said…" Victoire began, though she stopped when Teddy suddenly came bounding back into the room dressed in his normal clothes.

"Vic, do you want to play Gobstones?" he asked in a much happier tone than he had been the last time they had seen him.

"Yes!" she said eagerly as she stood and disappeared with Teddy towards the back garden. Harry had to jump to get out of their way as he reentered the room with Teddy's robes in hand.

"So," he said. "All that's left is for Ron and me to pick up our robes, but we can do that whenever."

"Where is Ron?" Ginny asked. "He was supposed be back an hour ago."

"Who knows," Harry said, joining the girls to sit, though the noise of the front door opening and shutting made everyone glance towards the entrance. A moment later, Arthur came walking in, his face covered in grease.

"What on earth have you been doing?" Molly asked.

"Working out in the shed," he said as he used his dirty hand to push his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"Dad's restoring a car," Ginny said to no one in particular

"I just miss the old Anglia," he said. "And now that I don't have any kids who may want to hijack it in the middle of the night, or drive it into a tree, I can actually enjoy it."

Harry grinned.

"Well, I'm going to start dinner," Molly said before she stood. "I hope everyone is staying?"

"Oh," Hermione said, checking her watch. "Actually, I have plans. I probably should get going."

"What a shame," Molly said. "Do you have to?"

"Yes, I'm sorry," Hermione said with a glance at Harry. He knew the reason she was leaving was because Martin had promised her a nice evening to celebrate the closing of a case he had been working on, but she knew she didn't want to tell Mrs. Weasley that. Even though she and Molly and Hermione still got on well, despite the breakup with Ron, Hermione knew better than to mention Martin to her.

"Well, it was lovely seeing you, dear," Molly said. "I suppose the next time I'll see you will be this weekend."

Hermione smiled. "It will."

"Here, I'll walk you out," Harry said as he followed her into the back garden, holding the door open for her as she passed.

"Remember," she said once they were outside. "No plans for Friday after work. Same with Ginny."

"What on earth are you planning?" Harry asked.

"You'll see." She grinned. "And don't try to get it out of Ron. I warned him that I would do terrible things if he spoiled everything."

"Ron's in on it, too?" he asked. "Oh, this should be interesting."

Hermione smiled. "Bye, Harry."

"Have fun tonight," he said as he watched her disappear. He looked over to where Teddy and Victoire were crouched on the ground shooting large Gobstones back and forth at one another. He decided to make his way over to them.

"I've got winner," he said, plopping down on the ground next to them.

"That's me," Teddy said proudly.

"Not yet," Victoire said carefully. She seemed to be concentrating on aiming her stone carefully at Teddy's stone, all in an attempt to knock it out of the circle.

"Miss it, miss it," Ted taunted as she watched her flick the stone. It missed.

"Yes!" He jumped up into the air. "I win!"

"You win this time," Victoire mumbled as she stood and let Harry take her spot while Teddy reset the game.

"I'm first," Teddy said to Harry as he took his stone a flicked it into the circle. "Then you go, Harry."

"Right," Harry said as Teddy explained the rules of the game—a game he had taught Teddy how to play in the first place—to him.

"Harry," said Victoire as she observed from the side. "When you marry Aunt Ginny, you're going to be my uncle, right?"

"I am," he said, nodding his head.

"So, I should start calling you Uncle Harry?" she asked.

"If you want," he said as he flicked his Gobstone directly at Teddy's and made it to roll out of the circle. "You don't have to if you don't want to."

"I want to," she said, swaying from side to side.

"You've already got a hundred uncles," Teddy said as he looked up at her.

"Not a hundred," she corrected. "Only," she paused and started to count, "only four. Soon I'll have five."

"That's close to a hundred," Teddy mumbled once he flicked his Gobstone at Harry's and watched as it pushed his out of the circle.

"It is not," she said. "And if you think that's a lot, I even used to have another uncle."

"Where'd he go?"

"He died," she said somberly, "in the war. Grandmum doesn't like to talk about it."

Teddy didn't say anything, though Harry knew all to well why. He tended to get quiet when the war was brought up. It was only recently that Harry had sat down and explained more of what had happened to Teddy's parents to him. He and Andromeda had never hidden the fact that his parents had died fighting in the war, but they had never fully explained it either. They wanted to wait for him to understand what death and war really meant before they told him the truth about that day. Though, it had been Harry who had been with Teddy on the day when he asked why his parents had to die when so many other people got to live.

"I don't know the answer to that," Harry said as he sat down next to Teddy on the sofa in his living room.

"It's not fair," he said. "Everyone else gets a mum and a dad, and I don't even get one."

"Not everyone else does," Harry said, placing his hand on Teddy's shoulder.

"It seems like everyone else does."

"I know it does," Harry said, "but trust me, you're not alone. You know, I never knew my parents, either. They died when I was young."

Teddy looked at him. "You're just saying that."

"No, I'm not. My parents died when I was just a baby."

"Like me?"

Harry nodded. "Just like you."

"Did your grams take care of you, too?" he asked as he fidgeted on the sofa.

"I didn't even get a grandmother," Harry said. "I got sent to live with my aunt and uncle." He made a face. "It wasn't a very happy place."

"Why not?"

"They just weren't fond of me because I was different," he continued. "They were Muggles and hated magic. I didn't even know I was a wizard until the day I got my Hogwarts's letter."

Teddy looked shocked to hear it. "No…!"

"Yep. I always just thought I was a freak because that's what my aunt and uncle used to tell me."

He frowned. "That's not nice."

"It's not, but it was a part of my life that made me who I am in the end."

"I'm glad I don't have people like that in my life," Teddy said.

He smiled. "Not if I have anything to say about it."

"Did you have a godfather like you?"

Harry paused for a moment as he thought of Sirius. "I had a wonderful godfather, but I didn't get to meet him until I was thirteen. He died when I was fifteen."

Teddy eyes widened. "He died, too?"

Harry nodded. "I've lost a lot of people in my life. All at the hands of the same cause."

"The same cause that my parents died from?"

Harry nodded.

"Harry?" Teddy asked. "How did your parents die?"

Harry glanced at Teddy. He suddenly wondered if six was too young to really educate someone on the premise of murder.

"They were killed," he said. "By Voldemort."

"And he's the one people talk about you for?" Teddy asked. "The stories they tell about you…"

"Yeah, the same person."

"He killed them?" he asked softly.

Harry nodded.

"Were my parents killed like your parents?"

Harry bit his lip. He could already feel the scolding lecture and the cries of, "He's only six!" from Andromeda coming, but he had always promised to be honest with Teddy. Particularly since people hadn't been honest with him.

"Yes," he said. "They were killed by the people who worked with Voldemort. That's what the war was about. Our side against theirs."

Teddy's face whitened. He looked at the floor. "Were they brave?" he asked quietly.

"Your mum and dad?" Harry smiled. "They were incredible. They didn't hesitate fighting for what was right for one minute." He looked at Teddy's sad face. "They were very brave."

"I miss them," he said heavily. "I never even knew them, but I miss them. Have you ever heard of that?"

"Of course," Harry said. "You're completely normal for feeling that way."

"Can I tell you something?" he asked. "I've never told anybody."

"You know you can."

"I have dreams about them," he said as a small smile crossed his lips. "I have pictures of them, so I know what they look like, but I imagine their voices. In my dreams we do stuff like everyone else's family does and it makes me happy." He smiled, but slowly started to frown. "Sometimes I get really sad when I have to wake up."

Harry felt a lump materializing in his throat, though he coughed it out and then leaned over to put his arm around Teddy's shoulders. "Your parents were great people," he said, thinking of Sirius again. "And it's very unfortunate that I got to know them and you never really got the chance. I want you to know one thing, though."

Teddy looked up at him.

"They would be very proud of you."

"Do you really think so?"

"I know so," he said as Teddy began to smile.

Harry watched as Teddy knocked his final Gobstone out of the circle. He couldn't help but wonder when Teddy had gotten so good at this game.

"I win again!" Teddy said.

"My turn!" Victoire said. "I'm going to win this time."

"You always say that," he said, "but I'm unbeatable."

Harry stood and smiled down at the pair of them. What a life it must be when your biggest problems were being made to wear dress robes you didn't want to and whether or not you beat your friend at Gobstones. He continued smiling as he walked back towards the house, thinking about this very thought. If these were Teddy's biggest issues, then he was obviously doing something right.


	12. A Crazy Old Man

"Right," Harry said as he stood in his office on a Friday morning and addressed the group that had congregated around him for morning meeting. He began handing out assignments. "Williamson and—"

"Not Marks," Williamson said.

"I screw up once," Marks said in an annoyed tone from the side of the room, "and you're going to hold it against me forever?"

"You blew our cover," Williamson said. "Hell, why didn't you just yell out my home address while you were at it?"

"All right, all right," Harry said, putting up a hand to silence them. "Williamson, you take Mal with you this time. Marks you go with Thomas."

"I'll straighten you out, kid," Thomas said with a smile. He was missing several teeth, which he treated as battle scars. Marks mustered an uneasy grin.

"So, that leaves…" Harry began, just as the door to his office opened and a burley man with a large scar running down the side of his face entered. Everyone turned to face him.

"Hello, sir," Harry said to Robards.

"Potter," Robards said with a nod. "Sorry to interrupt your morning meeting, but I just need to let you know that Weasley's been cleared."

"Has he?" Harry said, smiling at Ron. Ron, however, kept his eyes focused on Robards. His knee began bouncing anxiously.

"That he has," Robards said, handing Harry a folder. "I just finished with his transfer paperwork and signed off on it, so he can now be assigned actual detail as an official transfer agent."

"Transfer paperwork?" Mal asked before Harry could utter the words. He had turned towards Ron, hoping to get some answers from a look or expression, but Ron remained stone faced.

"Yes," Robards said. "I can announce that Weasley's going to Paris permanently. Well, he will be once we send this work back to Paris and get Gerrard to sign off on it, too." He turned to Ron. "Since it is Friday, Weasley, it should all be sorted out by Monday." He grunted and looked back at Harry. "Potter, I'll need you in my office before you go out today."

"Yes, sir," Harry said in a still tone. Robards turned to leave the room.

"You're leaving, Weasley?" Rooney asked. "You're actually moving to Paris?"

"Yeah," Ron said slowly as every eye in the room turned towards him. "Seems that way."

"Change of plans," Harry said bluntly. "Rooney, you're on the Dover incident."

"Really? Old man Dole up to it again?"

"That he is," Harry said, glaring at Ron. "I'm taking Ron with me to Azkaban." He paused and glanced around the room. "That's it for the day."

The group of Aurors steadily gathered their things and made their way out of Harry's office. Ron had stayed put in his chair, though he began to crack his knuckles rather anxiously. Harry waited for the door of his office to shut completely before he spoke.

"Were you planning on telling me?"

"Of course I was," he said. "I would have done it earlier if I would have known Robards was going to come in here and announce it to the room."

"Why didn't you do it earlier?" Harry asked. "How long have you known this?"

"I only just now found out that I got the transfer," he said, attempting to sound innocent.

"You would have had to have requested it," Harry said flatly.

Ron sighed. "A couple of days after I got back from Paris, I received an offer from the French Aurors. I didn't know if I was or wasn't going to take it, and what would have been the point of telling you if I hadn't decided to go?"

"But you did decide to go," he said. "You decided it at least before this morning since Robards has already signed off on you."

"I decided a few days ago," he said heavily. "I met with Robards the other day and we discussed it. I decided it was right for me. I mean, Harry, you're getting married tomorrow and you're dealing with enough stuff. I didn't want to bog you down with this news, too. But I swear I was going to tell you after the wedding."

"At your going away party, perhaps?" Harry asked, his tone annoyed.

"Oh, come on."

Harry shook his head. "It explains why you never finished your discharge work…but why? Why do you want to leave?"

Ron began to rub his nose before heaving a heavy sigh. "Because I want a change."

Harry stared at him.

"I really enjoyed what I got to do in Paris," he continued. "I was good at what I did."

"But you're good at what you do here."

"I really think that there is a lot more opportunities for me in Paris. I'm at a point in my life where I've got nothing holding me here. Why not go?"

Harry didn't say anything.

"Only you, George, and Bill know. I wasn't planning on telling anyone else until after the wedding."

"You're saying you don't want me saying anything."

"Sort of. Not to Ginny, at least. She's on edge enough as it is."

"I can't believe you didn't tell me straight away," Harry mumbled.

"I know," Ron said. "I'm sorry, but I just didn't know how. You seemed so happy to see me back."

"I am," he said, grabbing his cloak. "At least, I was." He made an impatient head gesture towards the door. "I've got to talk to with Robards before we go, but after that, we're taking off. We can talk later."

"Fine," Ron said as he followed Harry out into the corridor and watched as he headed straight for Robards's office.

Ron turned and immediately rounded a corner, plopping quickly down at his own desk as he thought about what had just happened. Harry finally knew. He felt sort of relieved at this. It felt good to tell people. He wanted to tell everyone, but he had promised himself that he would wait until after the wedding to spread what he considered good news. Given Harry's reaction though, he could tell that not everyone was going to think this way.

"Really moving to Paris, then?" asked Mal from her desk nearby. "Why were you keeping it a secret?"

"I wouldn't say secret," Ron said. "I was just biding my time before I mentioned it."

"When do you leave?"

He smiled. "I start on May 1st."

Mal smiled, too. "Well, congrats, Weasley. You seem excited."

"I am. I'll miss everyone, of course, but hey, you have to do what you have to do."

Mal nodded as her eyes drifted to something over Ron's shoulder. "Isn't that a friend of yours?" she asked, nodding towards Eleanor's desk at the front of the department.

Ron turned to see Hermione engaged in polite conversation with her. He immediately began smiling. "Yeah it is," his said to her before calling out, "Hey, Hermione!"

He watched as she turned towards the source of her name and smiled at him. She said a few more things to Eleanor before making her way towards his desk.

"What are you doing here?" he asked brightly, still smiling.

"I was just stopping by to make sure everything was a go tonight," she said as an amused smile began growing on her face the more she observed him. "Why are you in such a good mood?"

"Just been a good day," he said. "And yeah, I took care of everything on my end for tonight."

"Harry's not around is he?" she whispered.

"He's in with Robards."

"Good. Remember you have to be at Harry and Ginny's around seven. How many people did you invite?"

"I don't remember," he said. "Just some people around here and anyone else I knew to be around. Speaking of which, hey Mal?"

"Yeah?"

"Would you like to come to a party tonight?"

"What kind of party?"

"The fun kind."

"Well, in that case," she said as she quickly swung around in her chair. "Where is it?"

"The Leaky Cauldron," he said. "Show up anytime after eight."

"Sound good to me," she said. "What's the occasion?"

"It's my birthday," he lied.

"It is?" she asked. "I didn't know that."

"Oh, it's not today, exactly" he said in a convincing tone. "We're just celebrating it today."

"Well, happy birthday, then. Whenever it is." She smiled at him before picking up a stack of folders to head out of the room with. "Any occasion to have a good time is an excuse enough for me."

"See you later, then," he called after her, right as he met Hermione's eyes and smiled at her.

"Your birthday?" she asked skeptically, leaning casually against the wall next to his desk. "Have you been telling everyone that?"

"Maybe someone will bring me a present," he said.

She let a begrudging smile cross her face. "You're the one who's going to let this secret out. You know that?"

"I think I've done a damn good job keeping it under wraps," he said before Harry suddenly appeared from around the corner.

"Hermione," Harry said, seemingly surprised to see her. "Hey."

"Hey, Harry," she said, standing up straight. "I'd better get back upstairs. I'll see you both later for dinner."

"Is it dinner now?" Harry asked. "Is that your big surprise?"

"You've only got a few hours left," she said once she started to leave. "You might as well wait it out." She waved quickly. "See you both later."

Harry glanced at Ron as soon as she'd left. "Will you just tell me? I hate surprises. Plus, you owe it to me for keeping Paris secret."

"Oh, well, in _that_ case I'd better tell you," he said sarcastically.

"Did you tell Hermione?"

"Tell Hermione what?" he asked. "She already knows. She helped plan the whole thing."

"That you're moving," he said obviously.

Ron stood from his desk. "Not yet. I told you, I'm waiting until after the wedding to tell everyone."

"Right…" Harry said slowly. "Whatever, let's go then. We've got inspections at Azkaban."

"Hooray," Ron said unenthusiastically.

"That's what you get for moving without telling anybody."

* * *

Several hours later, Harry and Ron emerged from the depths of the stone walls of Azkaban and walked to the outer banks of the island rock. The day was miserably stormy, and the rain and the wind were ferociously whipping up their hair and robes. As it were, a bone chilling cold was currently filling Harry's lungs.

"I hate that place," Ron mumbled.

"I don't like it much, either," Harry said as he fumbled with a piece of parchment that an Azkaban guard had handed him on the way out. "Most of the people in there want me dead."

"At least the dementors are gone," Ron said, casting a final look back at the prison, "though, it still almost seems like they're still there. I always feel so miserable when I walk in there."

"It's a charm," Harry said absently as he started to read the note in his hand. "It basically replicates the feeling that dementors used to create with their presence. It's no where near as powerful as what a dementor can do, but if you're trapped inside long enough, it has the same effects."

"What's it say?" Ron asked, gesturing towards the note in Harry's hand.

Harry sighed. "It's Rooney. Apparently he had trouble in Dover and now they need me to give it a go." He made a face. "This guy, Dole, is a complete loon. He's always causing trouble and he absolutely loves to mess with Muggles. You should probably come."

"Yeah, all right," Ron said. "Where are we headed?"

"Here," Harry said, grabbing onto Ron's arm as they Apparated on the spot. Seconds later, they found themselves standing along the coast of Dover.

Ron swayed on the spot at having been taken off guard by the sudden Apparation. "You could have warned me," he said, shaking his head out.

"Sorry," Harry said before he began to shake off the cold feeling that walking into Azkaban tended to bring onto him. He pulled out a chocolate bar from his pocket and broke it in two. He handed half to Ron.

"What's the point if the dementors are gone?" Ron asked, observing the candy.

"There is no point," he said as he bit off a piece of chocolate. "I was just offering you some because I had it. If you don't want it…" He pulled it back.

"Like I'm going to turn down free snacks," Ron said, taking it quickly from Harry's grasp. They both laughed.

"I always make sure I bring some chocolate with me out to Azkaban," he said as they both started to walk. "It's probably all in my head, but it really does make me feel better after walking through there."

"I can see that."

"You have no idea how many times I had to remind myself I was getting married tomorrow just to keep my spirits up," Harry mumbled.

"I kept thinking that I would get pudding with lunch to keep my spirits up," Ron said as they both neared a small and run down looking shack on the edge of town. "Which, you know, is practically the same thing."

Harry laughed as they approached the front door of the home. He reached out and pulled the heavy door knocker before standing back a few steps. Several moments went by without a response.

"Are we at the right place?" Ron asked.

"I don't see any other dilapidated shacks around, do you?" He observed the door skeptically. "I don't see why Rooney would—"

He stopped when he heard the sound of a lock turning from the inside. He and Ron both instinctively pulled out their wands and let them rest casually by their sides as the door opened. An old man wearing a stained t-shirt, boxer shorts, and a tattered robe stood staring back at them through large spectacles that made his eyes look bug-like. Harry and Ron smiled.

"Who are you?" the man asked in a wheezy tone. "Are you from the Ministry, too?"

"We are," Harry said cordially. "We've met before, Mr. Dole. I'm Harry Potter."

"Eh…" the old man said in an uninterested tone.

"And this is Ron Weasley," he said, gesturing to Ron. "Have you spoken with another Auror today?

"Just like I told him!" Dole suddenly barked. "I ain't done nothing!"

"No one is accusing you, sir," Ron added.

"You see, Mr. Dole—"

"I ain't answering no more questions!" Dole barked again.

"Mr. Dole," Harry continued, "we've received multiple complaints that you're performing Levitation Charms on Muggle children and—"

"They shouldn't be in my yard!" he said. "I told them to leave and they wouldn't! They like to taunt me!"

"Right," Harry said. "I understand that, Mr. Dole. However, using magic in plain view of Muggles is highly frowned up and a punishable offense. Seeing as this is your third infraction this year, you leave us no choice but to assign you a court date where they will assess you further."

"That's what that other bloke said," grumbled Dole. "I ain't going to court."

"Refusal to attend you assigned date could result in fines, jail time, or the confiscation of your wand, sir," Ron said. "You wouldn't want that."

"Nobody will take my wand!" Dole screamed as a bird started screeching from somewhere in the house. Ron and Harry instinctively raised their wands.

"Sir, please don't make us—" Harry began but it was already too late. The old man's wand appeared out of nowhere and he began firing spells off left and right and at nothing in particular.

Both Harry and Ron ducked for cover as Ron yelled, _"Stupefy_!" right as Harry yelled, "_Expelliarmus_!" Both spells missed, though one of Dole's many randomly yelled spells managed to hit Harry directly in the chest. He fell to the ground unconscious as the old man pointed his wand directly at Ron.

"_Stupefy_!" Ron yelled again, his wand pointed directly at Dole. This time he hit. The old man went rigid and fell to the ground.

"What the hell!?" Ron yelled out to the unconscious old man. "All you had to do was go to court!" He rushed over to Harry's limp body and pointed his wand directly into his face, casting a quick spell to restore him. Harry stirred before his eyes fluttered opened.

"What happened?" he asked as he slowly sat up, his eyes unfocused.

"The barking mad idiot just attacked us," Ron said, casting a dirty look at Dole.

"He's been known to be callous," Harry mumbled once Ron helped him to his feet, "but he's never actually attacked any of us before. Usually he just swears at us and slams the door in our face. Mal said he threw some books at her once."

Ron walked over and picked up the wand lying to the side of Dole's body. He threw it to Harry before he began inspecting the old man's still face. Harry came and stood beside him.

"I'm lucky it was just stupefy that got me," Harry said. "Who knows what he was throwing out there."

"Seriously," Ron said.

Harry sighed as he pointed his wand at the old man and began to bind his arms and legs with magical rope. "I'm embarrassed at the fact that I'm a trained Auror who actually got knocked down by a crazy old man." He paused. "And I'm only telling you this because you're my friend."

"I won't tell anybody," Ron said as he pointed his wand at Dole and levitated the old man up into the air. "It happens to the best of us, mate." He glanced back at Dole. "Take him to St. Mungo's or straight to Azkaban?"

"Azkaban," Harry said. "We'll let the guards there make the call on him."

"I'll take him," Ron said. "You should head on back and file the report."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, the faster we get the paperwork done, the faster we can end the day, and the sooner we'll be having fun tonight at your party."

Harry smiled at him. "So, it's a party?"

Ron's face fell. "Oh, Hermione's going to kill me."

"I won't tell her," Harry said with a smile. "Well, unless you happen to tell someone I got stupefied by this wanker."


	13. The Party pt 1

"And you both picked up your robes?" Ginny asked on that very same Friday evening as she, Ron, and Harry sat in the living room of her and Harry's flat. "You're sure?"

"Yes," Ron and Harry said together.

"You know, I never got a response from the caterer," she said anxiously. "I really hope that they got those last minutes changes since Percy and Audrey have decided they don't eat meat any more."

"Well, if they didn't get them," Ron said as he balanced his foot on the edge of the coffee table, "Percy and Audrey don't eat."

"Ron..."

"Ginny," Harry said, leaning towards her. "Everything is ok. We've checked, double checked, and done everything in our power to make sure everything on our end is done for tomorrow."

"I know," she said, "but I can't help thinking that I'm forgetting something."

"You're just being paranoid," Ron said, looking at his sister. "Relax and enjoy your night."

"That's easy for you to say," she said as she started wringing her hands.

"He's right," Harry said, laying a reassuring hand on her. "Let's just have a good time tonight."

"What are we doing?" she asked. "Perhaps if I had an idea, it would calm my nerves."

"We're having dinner if Hermione ever decides to get here," Ron said, checking his watch. "It's nothing you have to stress yourself about."

"I think I'm going to owl Mum quickly," she said as she stood and ignored Ron. "Just to make sure she has everything she needs." She abruptly made her way straight into the kitchen.

Ron watched her go before giving Harry sympathetic look. "I don't think I've ever seen her like this."

"You've never seen her around playoffs, then," he mumbled. "She'll be calm tomorrow, though. Then I'll probably be the wreck."

Ron chuckled.

"I need to eat something," Harry said. "I have a feeling I need to eat as much as possible tonight since I won't be eating much tomorrow."

"Don't want to look fat in your dress robes?" Ron joked.

"Actually, it's because I have a feeling that everyone will be pulling me every which way tomorrow and I'll never really get the chance to sit and eat."

"I'll make it a priority," Ron said as he started to bounce his knee. "Make sure you're always properly fed and watered."

"That's why I made you my best man." Harry grinned and checked his watch again, just as Ginny reentered the room.

"I wonder where Hermione is," she said as she proceeded to attach a piece of parchment to their owl, Dobby, before taking him over to the window. "It's not like her to be this late."

Harry shrugged as he absently watched her cross the room to let Dobby out the front window. He turned back to Ron. "So, hey, what ever happened with that girl you took out? The one who works for George. What's her name?"

"Lydia," Ron said. "We've been out twice now. She's nice. I like her enough."

"But it's obviously not looking serious if you're planning on mov-" Harry stopped once Ron threw him an impatient look. Both of them glanced at Ginny, who was shutting the window behind her. She didn't look as if she'd been paying attention.

"Lydia knows," he whispered before returning to a normal tone. "I've made my intentions pretty clear that I'm just looking to hang out and have fun."

"And she's fine with that?" Ginny asked as she returned and sat back down on the couch next to Harry.

"She didn't run off after I told her."

"I don't understand men sometimes," she said. "You're consciously taking this girl out and spending time with her, but you've already ruled out the possibility of a real relationship before you've even gotten to know her properly?"

"I haven't ruled it out entirely," Ron said lazily. "I'm just not looking for anything serious."

Ginny stared at him.

"I have my reasons," he said with a casual glance at Harry. "Plus, if I can find a girl who understands and doesn't care, then why wouldn't I be more inclined to go out with her?"

Ginny rolled her eyes as an unidentified owl suddenly appeared and began tapping at the window. She immediately hopped up to answer it.

"Have you two had…?" Harry asked with a knowing look as soon as Ginny disappeared. "You know?"

"No," Ron said, realizing what Harry was insinuating. "Some snogging, though that's about it. Then again, I haven't really tried." He paused. "I invited her to the wedding though, so perhaps my luck will change. Girls tend to find themselves looking for companionship after weddings, don't they?"

Harry shrugged. "Most of the weddings I've been to, I've gone with your sister. I don't think you want me to answer that."

"You're absolutely right in thinking that," he said, making a face just as Ginny returned with a letter in her hands.

"You know, I think I remember her from popping into George's shop. If I'm thinking of the right girl," Harry continued. "She's blonde right? Pretty face? Sort of tall?"

"It sounds like her," Ron said. "If anything you'll see her tonight. I invited her."

Ginny's head snapped up. "You invited her to dinner? When Hermione is going to be there?"

"I…" Ron began as he realized Ginny still wasn't aware that it was a party, and not dinner with friends that they were going to tonight.

"Who's the letter from?" Harry interrupted, attempting to change the subject.

"Oh, from the caterer." She smiled a little. "They got my changes.

"See," Harry said. "There's nothing to worry about."

"I can't believe how crazy this is making me," she said before the sound of someone knocking at the door caused all three of them to look towards it.

Harry pointed his wand at the door. "It's open!"

"Well, look at it this way," Ron began. "Tomorrow you'll be…" He started to trail off as he noticed Hermione, followed by Martin, entered through the open door.

"Look who it is," Harry said, trying to add a pleasant inflection to his voice in an attempt to hide his obvious surprise. Ginny was now smiling awkwardly as she and Harry both looked at Ron.

"Sorry we're late," Hermione said breathlessly. "I was going to come ahead on my own, but Martin ended up getting home early, so I just waited for him to get ready before coming over."

"Hey," Martin said with a smile towards Harry and Ginny. "It's all my fault, I'm sorry." He glanced at Ron. "Hi, I'm Martin Wilks." He stuck his hand out.

Ron stared at it for a moment before he forced his own out in return. "Ron Weasley."

Martin forced a surprised smile once Ron's name fully registered with him. He suddenly looked a bit awkward, but continued smiling as he glanced at Hermione. "I've heard a lot about you," he said to Ron. "It's nice to finally meet you."

"You too," Ron said, sounding as if he certainly didn't mean that.

"So, um," Ginny asked, looking from face to face before settling on Ron's, "are we meeting your date there, Ron?"

"Where is there?" Harry asked, trying to cut some of the awkward tension in the room.

"Well," Hermione said, smiling brightly at Ron and seeming to be the only one not affected by the awkwardness in the room, "I think we can tell them now."

"Be my guest," he said, trying his best to distance himself from her so as to not insight possible dirty looks from her boyfriend.

"Ron and I," she said excitedly, "have decided to throw you a sort of joint stag and doe party. Now, I know it may sound silly, but I just thought it was stupid that because of one's sex you can't enjoy the other one's party. I mean, you're both my friends and I wanted to celebrate with both of you."

Harry and Ginny exchanged pleasant expressions.

"Well, this is unexpected," Ginny said.

"It is," Harry added. "And you're right. It probably will be more fun this way."

Hermione smiled. "Shall we go then?"

"Yes," said Ron almost immediately, darting towards the door.

"So, wait," Harry asked. "Does that mean we're still eating? Because Ginny and I didn't eat because we thought we were going out to dinner."

"You can get food where we're going," Hermione said as she and Martin stepped out of the door that Ron had left open, "which is the Leaky Cauldron. Oh, and don't worry because the food is much better now. We'll see you there."

"Okay," Harry said before Hermione and Martin disappeared into the darkness. He glanced at Ginny.

"Did you know?" she asked him.

"Ron let it slip that it was a party earlier," he said. "But don't tell Hermione that."

"It's really sweet of them," she said as Harry took her hand.

"They are the best."

"Did you see Ron's face when Martin walked in?"

Harry grimaced and suddenly felt a tugging sensation around his stomach. When he opened his eyes, they were both standing inside the crowded Leaky Cauldron. There were many familiar and unfamiliar faces scouring the room, but a select crowd of people cheered when they noticed the new arrivals.

"Oh, Merlin's beard…" Ginny said, looking around and noticing her friends, some teammates, and several of her family members smiling at them. "I didn't know this many people would be here!"

"I didn't either," Harry said as a pleasantly familiar voice spoke from nearby.

"Hello, you two."

The both turned, but Ginny screamed, "Luna!" before Harry had even had to chance to register who it was. She was already hugging her tightly

"It's good to see you," Luna said as she hugged her back. She didn't look a day older than from when they had last seen her, but she had a definite new sense of life and excitement in her eyes. "I've missed you both."

"We've missed you, too," Harry said, just as several people walked past him and patted him on the back. "It's really good to see you, Luna."

"I'm so very excited for the two of you," she said with a soft smile.

"Thank you," said Ginny sincerely. "Oh, I want to hear everything you've been up to! I've missed you!"

"There's so much to tell," Luna said. "You'll never believe some of the things I've discovered and seen."

Harry smiled. "Lots of Crumple-Horned Snorkacks?"

"Oh, no," she said with a sudden serious expression. "Haven't you heard? They don't actually exist." She frowned slightly. "I've only recently discovered this myself, so it's no surprise you haven't heard this yet as well."

"You don't say?" Ron said he walked up to the group with two pints in hand. He handed Harry one.

"Oh, hello, Ron," Luna said happily. "Thank you for letting me know about this tonight. It's been so nice seeing everyone."

"My pleasure."

"Thanks for getting me a drink, Ron," Ginny said sarcastically as she observed the one he had brought for Harry.

"I'm Harry's best man," he said, as if it was his reasoning should be obvious. "It's my job to make sure he always has one in hand. You need to go get on Hermione's case."

Ginny rolled her eyes as Luna tapped her elbow. "Let me," she said. "We can catch up."

"I'd like that," Ginny said. She glanced at Harry and grinned before glancing at her brother and throwing him a smug look.

"So, who else is here?" Harry asked once the girls made their way towards the bar.

"Some people from work," he began, "some of my brothers, a few friends, maybe a handful of people from school."

"Yeah, there's Neville," Harry said, pointing to where Ginny was excitedly hugging Neville. "And Hannah."

"Hagrid said he'd be here," Ron said. "Just that he'd get here when he could."

"This is great, mate," he said happily. "Thanks for all this."

"It was mostly Hermione's doing," Ron said. "I just helped invite people."

"Either way," he said as he clanked his glass against Ron's, "I appreciate it."

"And hey," Ron added. "Just so you know, there are enough people here in your honor that you shouldn't have to buy a drink all night. Not that you ever really have to anyway, given that everyone is always queuing up to buy 'The Boy Who Lived' a drink, but I'm just saying—"

"Well, I have to sometimes," Harry joked as Hermione suddenly approached the two of them and grabbed them both by the arm.

"Hey," she said excitedly to Harry. "Were you surprised?"

"This is fantastic, Hermione," he said as he put his arm around her shoulder and gave her a friendly squeeze. "I think this is just what Ginny needed to relax before tomorrow."

"And you!" she said to him. "Don't think I don't know that you're going just a bit mental, too. I mean, you're getting married tomorrow, Harry."

"Perhaps a little," he said as the three of them smiled at each other.

"Well, I'm glad," Hermione said brightly, just as Ron suddenly nudged her.

"So, uh, Ginny had to go to the bar to get her own drink," he said, faking serious concern. "I thought you were the maid of honor?"

"Did you get Harry that?" she asked as she pointed to the drink in Harry's hand.

"Absolutely," he said. "Because I am the best man." He smiled. "In every way."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Hermione joked as she patted him on the shoulder. She threw him a quick smile before heading towards the bar in an attempt to find Ginny.

He smiled as he watched her go, though he turned back to Harry and muttered, "So, that was Martin earlier."

Harry looked over to a table where Martin was sitting with a bloke he recognized from Hermione's office. "That it was."

"He's taller than I thought," Ron said. "I pictured him to be shorter for some reason."

Harry shrugged just as whatever music had been playing suddenly started to get a little louder. Some people cheered at this change, though Harry was quickly distracted by Mal suddenly appearing next to the pair of them.

"Hi, boss," she said with a sloppy smile. She looked as if she'd already had a few drinks.

"Oh, don't call me that," Harry said as Mal observed his half empty glass. "We're not at work and I'm not really your boss."

"What are you two drinking?" she asked, seemingly ignoring him. "Next round is on me."

"You don't have to do that," Harry said.

"Shut up," Ron said, throwing Harry an obvious look before turning to Mal. "We're drinking the house stuff."

"Anything for the birthday boy!" Mal said in a slurred sort of way as she disappeared into the crowd. Ron laughed.

"Birthday boy?" Harry asked curiously.

"I do what I have to do to keep things quiet," he said as he and Harry followed Mal towards the bar. After a little pushing, they managed to wiggle their way up to the very front, where Ron caught himself looking down the length of the bar to where Ginny was sitting and sipping on something green.

"Found yourself a drink, then, have you?" he yelled across several people, so she could hear him.

"Found yourself two?" Ginny called back just as Mal handed both Harry and Ron a pint. She smiled at them both before returning to her conversation with Luna, Neville, and Hermione.

"You sure got enough people here," Hannah said to Ron from behind the bar. She smiled at Harry. "Nice to see you, Harry. Congratulations."

"Thanks," he yelled back over the noise.

Ron smiled. "I told you it'd be festive, Hannah."

"Harry!" said George Weasley, appearing from somewhere through the crowd. "I need you to settle a bet between Lee Jordan and me." He tugged at his arm. "Right now, it's sort of important."

"What's the bet—?" Harry began to ask, but George had already started forcibly pulling him away without another word.

"Brace yourself, Harry," Ron called after him before he shook his head in an amused manner. He leaned back against the bar and glanced down towards where Ginny, Hermione, and Luna were now laughing about something. He watched them with a smile on his face as it started to remind him of the past.

Just then, Hermione looked up and caught his eye. She gave him a friendly smile, which he automatically found himself returning. That especially reminded him of the past. He couldn't help but be reminded of that funny feeling Hermione used to give him just by smiling at him, but he knew that was just nostalgia playing with his head. She suddenly gestured for him to come and join them now that he was standing there on his own. He couldn't think of any reason why he should, so he shrugged and turned to make his way towards them. However, when he felt a sudden hand on his back, he paused in his tracks.

"Hey," Lydia said with a smile. "I was looking all over for you."

"Hey," he said as hhe noticed she looked tired, but still pretty. "You just get off work?"

She nodded. "Just finished closing up shop. I just saw George and Lee across the room so I know they're probably already a few drinks in."

Ron grinned. "I only saw George a second ago, but knowing him…" He made a face. Lydia laughed as Hannah appeared to see if she would like anything.

"Whatever he's having," she said indifferently.

"It's on me," Ron said to Hannah.

"Well, thank you," Lydia said as she leaned up and kissed him quickly on the cheek.

He grinned. "Thank you," he said as he happened to catch a glance back down the bar. Ginny, Luna, and Hermione were now all watching him. "Uhh," he said looking back towards Lydia and feeling a sudden desire to move. "Do you want to come with me to go rescue Harry from George and Lee?"

"Sure," she said as he took her hand and led her through the crowd towards the other side of the room, where George and Lee looked to be interrogating Harry about who knew what.

* * *

Across the bar, Luna leaned in towards Ginny. "I know that girl with Ron. She was in Ravenclaw."

"I've never met her," Ginny said. "George hired her not too long ago for the shop. She and Ron just started seeing each other."

"Her name's Lydia," Hermione said as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. "I met her the other day."

"That's right," Luna said, pulling the cocktail onion out of her drink. "She was younger than me, but she was always very polite." She dropped the onion back into her drink with a plop. "She and Ron seem very sweet together."

"He says he likes her," Ginny said, looking over her shoulder in the direction that they had walked off in, "but that it's nothing serious. Who even knows what that means though?"

"They just met," said Hermione flatly, a doubtful expression growing evident across her face by the second. "Of course it's nothing serious."

Ginny stared at Hermione with a curious expression, but Luna spoke before she could. "He might change his mind."

Ginny nodded. "He might."

"You know, I'm going to go and see what Martin's up to," said Hermione abruptly before she stood. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

"All right," Ginny said she and Luna watched her go. "I wonder what's gotten into her."

"She may be jealous."

"I don't think so…" said Ginny, though her tone that didn't sound entirely convinced. "I haven't seen any reason to think she would be, and I see her a lot." She hesitated and stared at Luna curiously. "You really think…?"

Luna cocked her head to side. "Well, I don't know why she and Ron decided they weren't right for each other, but Hermione's body language just then was very telling."

"Was it?" Ginny asked with a bewildered expression. "I didn't see anything out of the ordinary from her."

"Was she the one who decided to split up with Ron or was it the other way around?" Luna asked before she pulled her cocktail onion out of her drink again.

"Depends on who you ask," Ginny said. "I'm prone to believe it was Ron who did it, no matter how much he claims it was Hermione."

"Why is that?"

Ginny sighed. "Hermione," she hesitated, "let's be honest, Ron can be an idiot. He became this really difficult person in the months leading up to when they split up. None of us knew what was wrong with him because he wouldn't talk to anyone. He shut every single one of us out, and if we asked him what was wrong, he would go off on us and tell us he was just stressed." She paused and sipped her drink. "I'm still not positive what it was all actually about, but Hermione and Harry both say it had something to do with Ron feeling miserable working for George at the shop, and that no one understood him or something." She focused her eyes on the glass in her hands. "But how were we supposed to understand anything if he wouldn't talk to anyone?"

Luna nodded thoughtfully.

"Anyway, he got to be really moody," she continued. "I don't know how Hermione did it. She spent an evening or two at our flat crying to me about how she didn't know what to do. She couldn't get through to him and that she tried to talk to him but he kept pushing her away. Harry was finding himself getting snapped at every time he tried to confront Ron and, honestly, the whole thing was just so strange. It got to the point where I told Hermione that she needed to stop blaming herself for his behavior and that Ron was the one who needed to stop ignoring his problems and pretending they didn't exist. He needed to stop taking them out on everyone else…"

Luna nodded once more as she started stirring her drink with her straw.

"She kept swearing to me that if they stuck things out, everything would be fine. It's was just a rough patch, or whatever," Ginny said. "Which is why I think it was Ron was the one who ended things. Hermione told me far too many times just how important it was to stick by him for me to believe that just days later, she would have broken up with him." She paused. "Of course, she never told Harry any of this, so he tends to sit on fence about it all, not picking sides or whatever."

"I see," Luna said.

Ginny looked back over to where Hermione was now sitting with Martin. "Martin ended up sort of being there to pick up the pieces, I guess. They work together and she ended up spending endless hours at work when things got to be too much. I think she sort of got caught up in having someone listen to her. He's an all right guy," she turned back to Luna, "but I don't think he's the right guy for Hermione. I think deep down, Hermione knows that, even though she doesn't want to admit it. I almost think she's afraid to let another relationship fail, so she's trying to fight for this one. You know?"

"And Ron?"

"What about him?"

"How is he now?"

"Oh," Ginny said. "Well, you saw him. Back to his old dumb self again. Telling bad jokes and being a complete dork." She smiled. "It took a bit of time, but once he started Auror training, it was as if he had this new life about him. He and Hermione seem to be getting on well enough from I've seen though, so that's good." She smiled at Luna. "Though, I don't know if it's well enough for me to believe that Hermione's jealous of anything."

"It seems she's jealous that someone else gets to enjoy Ron when he's happy," said Luna whimsically. "If she loved him when he was miserable, she had to have loved him more when he was happy."

"Yeah, but she's with Martin now," Ginny said. "It's not as if she's looking for something else."

Luna smiled softly as she placed her drink down on the bar. "As I've learned, it's when you're not looking that you tend to find yourself discovering the most unexpected things."


	14. The Party pt 2

As the night wore on, the pub began to crowd with more and more laughing, friendly faces; everyone seemed to be enjoying their evening. Even the people who hadn't been invited as guests were joining in on the festivities as everyone talked, danced, sang, and drank the night away. As Hermione glanced around the pub, she couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment for having helped plan such a successful party. It was all she could have hoped for as she watched Harry and Ginny smiling with friends. As long as they were happy, she'd done her job properly.

"I can't believe you'll be teaching Herbology," she said as she found herself casually chatting with Neville, who was standing at the bar keeping Hannah company. "I'm really excited for you Neville."

"It'll be a challenge," he said as Hannah placed two drinks in front of Hermione, "but I'm up for it."

"Thanks, Hannah," Hermione said as she laid some money down on the counter.

"Are those both for you?" asked Ron, who had just approached the bar from behind her.

"Not quite," she said with amused grin before she picked up both glasses and turned to leave.

"Hey, come and play darts with us," Ron suggested. "You can bring Martin if you want. You can play winner of that game over there."

Hermione cast a look over towards the dartboard where George and Charlie were currently playing a team game against Lee and Harry. Lydia was sitting idly by watching and chatting with another girl.

"Martin doesn't play darts," she said.

"Who doesn't play darts?" Ron asked as he made a doubtful face. "Well, fine, just you, then."

"Maybe later," she said as she stepped around him and carried both glasses over to where Martin and a man from their office named Henry were sitting.

"Thanks," Martin said with a sloppy smile as Hermione sat down and handed him one of the drinks. He'd definitely had his fair share of alcohol thus far that evening, and that was starting to become evident. The fact that he wasn't much of a drinker as it was definitely sped up the process of him becoming intoxicated.

"I'm not sure I want to get married," Henry said as he slicked back his already greasy hair with the palm of his hand.

"You'd have to find a girl who'd have you first," Martin said. Hermione tried to hide her grin.

"True," he said as he drained what Hermione had counted to be his sixth beer. "But I don't know. I just don't see me as the marrying kind. I'd want my wife to be a very certain way, you know? I just don't think they make them that way anymore."

Hermione raised her eyebrow, but said nothing. Arguing with Henry was the biggest waste of time there was. She'd learned that time and time again.

"How do you mean?" Martin asked.

"I mean, I want her to cook and be a mum and a wife only," he continued. "You know, I don't want her to be a career woman who's all independent. No offense, Hermione."

"None taken," she said quickly. The fact that she was the furthest thing from what Henry considered to be his kind of woman was a good thing as far as she was concerned.

"I can sort of see what you mean," Martin mumbled.

"You can?" Hermione asked as she gawked at him. "I thought we had talked about this?"

"I know," he said. "It's just, I can see where he's coming from with wanting a mum to be home with the kids. You know that's what I want."

"You still want that?" she asked, sitting up straight. "But you had said the other day that you realized how stupid it sounds and how that sort of thing isn't for everyone."

"And I meant that," he said. "I was just saying I could see where he was coming from."

Hermione shook her head. "One second you're saying that's what you want, and the next, you're saying you realized it's a stupid idea. Which is it?"

"Let's not talk about this now," he said slowly. "I've had a lot to drink and I'm saying things I don't mean because I can't think straight."

"Fine," she said as she picked up her drink and stood. She had absolutely no desire to sit there and listen to this.

"You just sat down. Where are you going?"

"To play darts," she said as she thought of the first thing that popped into her head. She forcibly pushed her chair back into the table and made her way over to where George and Charlie were now jumping up and down celebrating.

"I think they're trick darts," she heard Ron say to Lydia as she approached the group.

"I'd like to play next," she said as she placed her drink down.

"Hermione!" George said drunkenly before he came and put his arm around her. "How are you?"

"Not as smashed as you are, apparently."

"You're just not trying hard enough," he said.

Charlie held up the darts in his hands. "Ok, so George and I versus," he looked at Hermione, "Hermione and who? Fancy another go, Harry?"

"I just lost twice in a row," Harry said as he made his way over to the closest table to sit. "I think I'll sit this one out. Save what little dignity I have left."

"I'll play," Ron said as he glanced at Hermione. "Remind me, are you good at darts or not?"

"I think I was better than you were."

"Well," said Charlie, "given Ron's performance tonight, that's not hard."

"Hey!" George suggested, his face lighting up. "Harry needs a shot of firewhiskey! How about it?"

Harry looked exhausted. "I've already had two."

"Time for three, then," George said. "Let's all do one! On me!"

"Oh, not for me," Hermione said, looking around as everyone else agreed.

"Hermione," George said with a slight wobble in his step. "You must! You need to show us how it's done!"

"I don't even know what that means," she said as she glanced at a grinning Harry.

"So that's," George began counting heads, "eight shots, then?"

"Really, George," Hermione said. "Thanks, but—"

"Eight it is!" he said, ignoring her as he walked off towards the bar with both Charlie and Lee in tow. Hermione sighed.

"You still hate that stuff then?" asked Ron.

"I didn't used to. It just haven't had much of a desire to have any since that night where I got really sick off of it."

"Oh, I remember that," he said slowly. "That was pretty bad."

"I was so miserable," she said as if she was remembering something specific. "It's horrible to even think about."

"I still think someone put something in that bottle, though," he said as Lydia called out his name from nearby, though, he didn't seem to hear her. "I know you don't think so, but it really seemed like almost a mild poisoning."

"Who would have done something like that?" she asked as Lydia called Ron's name once again, this time a little louder and definitely clearer than before. Still, he still didn't seem to hear her.

"Maybe it was Draco Malfoy all over again," he joked.

"That's not even funny," she said with a serious face as Harry suddenly called Ron's name. Ron turned around; Harry immediately signaled towards Lydia.

"I was actually trying to get you to get Hermione," Lydia said with a friendly smile towards her. "I just wanted to say that I really like your jumper. It's a really lovely color on you."

"Oh," Hermione said as she looked down at what she was wearing. "Thank you."

"This is my friend Ezzie," Lydia said politely as she gestured to the girl sitting next to her who looked to be the same age as her. "She remembers you from Hogwarts, too."

Ezzie nodded. "You actually told me and my friend off during our second year. Ironically enough, it was because we were testing products for George and Fred Weasley."

"I actually do remember them doing that," Hermione said with a small smile as she remembered telling off Fred and George in the Gryffindor common room for using younger students to test their products. "So, you were in Gryffindor?"

Ezzie nodded again. "I was just telling Ron how I have a distinct memory of him snogging some girl all around the common room one year."

"Oh, Lavender," Hermione said, smiling at Ron.

Ron rolled his eyes. "Don't even start." He turned to Harry. "You either."

"I wasn't going to say anything," Harry said as he and Hermione exchanged amused expressions.

"Neither was I," Hermione said. "Won-Won."

"I knew you would..." Ron began as he turned a little pink and gave both Hermione and Harry a look that only they seemed to find absolutely hilarious. He was luckily saved from further embarrassment by the return of George and the others, who began handing out the drinks they had promised one by one.

"Where's Ginny?" George asked Harry. "I got one for her, too."

"Somewhere over there talking with some of her teammates," Harry said. "After this, I'm going to go see what she's up to."

"Good. You can take this to her and tell her that her older brothers demand she drinks it out of love."

"Not before we toast you though, Harry," Charlie said, holding up his shot glass. "To Harry. Welcome to the family."

"Cheers!" George and Ron said as everyone else tossed their shots back immediately. Hermione watched and waited for Ron to finish his.

"Do you want mine?" she asked in an attempt not to drink it.

"After that Won-Won crack?" He smirked. "You're on your own."

"I think Ron should have to take it just for making us put up with Won-Won in the first place," Harry joked as he stood from the table and put his hands on Hermione's shoulders to steady himself as he maneuvered his way around the group.

"Harry?" Hermione asked as she held the glass up and gestured to it, as if to ask him if he wanted it.

"I think I'm done," he said before he began making his way across the room. "Can't be too hungover tomorrow, seeing as I have a thing or two I need to do."

"Why haven't you taken that yet?" George asked her as he came over to hand Ron the darts for his turn.

"Because I'm not interested," she said.

"You know, it's bad luck to not drink when someone makes a toast," he said. "It's as if you're cursing Ginny and Harry."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "It most certainly is not."

"We'll see," he said as he held up his fingers and wiggled them in a foreboding manner.

"Oh, please…"

"We're going to go for a bit of air," Lydia said to Ron as she and her friend stood up. "We'll be back in a little bit."

"Okay," he said with a careless shrug and he stepped towards Hermione and George. "Have fun. We'll be here."

"Wait," George said suddenly, thrusting the darts he was holding at Ron. "I'll come!"

"George, we're playing a game," Ron said.

"We would have won anyway," he said as he patted Ron on the shoulder and followed the girls outside. Ron glanced at Charlie, who shrugged.

"He's got his eye on your girl's friend," said Charlie. "He's a man on a mission, so there's no stopping him." He checked his watch. "I probably should be getting back, too. I said I wouldn't stay out too late."

"What the hell?" Ron said as Charlie finished the rest of his beer and headed towards the door.

"See you tomorrow." He waved behind him.

"Were we not playing a game?" Ron asked Hermione.

"You technically won on the grounds of forfeit," she said, taking the darts from Ron's hand. "Here, if you want to play so badly, I'll have a go."

"I never took you as a big darts player," he said as he watched her take her turn. She threw three darts, which went sailing towards the dartboard.

"I'm not. I'm just annoyed and I felt like doing something constructive."

"Uh-oh," he said with a funny smile as she handed the darts off to him. "Who did it this time? Wait, it wasn't me was it?"

"Not this time, no," she said as he took his turn and threw his darts. He hit two of the targets he needed.

"I'm winning," he said smugly as Hermione shook her head. "So, did someone do something or are you just annoyed at something in general?"

"It's nothing," she said as she stood in front of the dartboard and aimed. "It's just something stupid."

"If you know it's stupid, then why do you care?"

She gave him a pointed look, but said nothing. She threw her darts and landed three of her targets. She smiled. "Looks like I'm winning."

"Yeah, I see that," he said as he stared at the dartboard. He seemed to be attempting to plan out his next move very carefully.

"Don't hurt yourself over thinking things," she teased.

"Oh, don't you worry—" he said with a laugh before he stopped abruptly. Martin had just approached the pair of them.

"Hermione, can we talk?" he asked.

"Martin," she said hastily, as she avoided his eyes and continued to watch Ron take his turn. "You said it yourself, you've had too much to drink tonight. We'll talk about it later."

"I just think you're overreacting."

"I'm in the middle of a game," she said as she made a point of walking to the dartboard to retrieve the darts herself. "We'll talk later."

Martin sighed and mumbled something about, "I don't see why you always have to be like this," before walking off.

"He doesn't see…" she said out loud to herself in a biting manner as she hammered off the darts into the dartboard. Only one actually hit. The other two went sailing into the wall nearby. Hermione marched over towards the wall and pulled the darts out before rounding on Ron to hand them off. "I cannot believe…" she stammered in a huff before she suddenly grabbed her abandoned shot and took it swiftly. She screwed up her face as the liquid burned her throat, but quickly recovered and stared hard at the dartboard. Ron's gaped at her, but said nothing.

They played in silence for several minutes. Hermione was far too wrapped up in her own thoughts to do much talking. She had been in such a good mood before all of this. Why did Martin have to do this tonight of all nights? She had walked away from him on purpose because she hadn't wanted to deal with this tonight. She had wanted to enjoy her friends' party and enjoy the eve of their wedding. Not argue with him about the same topic they had been arguing over the last two weeks.

She glanced at Ron. He hadn't said a word since Martin had arrived and she was curious about what he was thinking right now. She felt a little embarrassed. Actually, she was quite embarrassed to have had an argument with her boyfriend in front of her him of all people. She knew he wasn't asking about thing so as to not upset her further, but a part of her almost wished he would. Just so she could talk.

"Your turn," he said, gesturing towards the dartboard and jolting her out of her daze. She hadn't realized how long she must have been staring into space until she took the darts he offered her. She absently took her turn, unsure of the score or why she was still even playing. As she walked forward to retrieve the darts though, a sudden curious urge came over her as she pulled each one out of the board.

"Ron, can I ask you an honest question?"

"Maybe," he said, not looking at her and focusing on the dartboard.

She strained her face. "Oh, never mind…"

He glanced at her. "What is it?"

She sighed. "If you and I were still together, and let's say we got married and decided to start having kids…" She hesitated. "Would you have ever expected me to just quit my job to be a stay-at-home-mum?"

Ron had his hand in the air; he was ready to throw the dart when he suddenly let it drop back down to his side. He turned to look at her. "Do I have a death wish?"

She grinned slightly and shook her head.

"I think that answers your question," he said as he turned back towards the dartboard and took his turn. "But honestly, I don't see you marrying anyone who'd expect that from you anyway. And if you did, I'd admit you to St. Mungo's straight away."

She smiled.

"I'm not kidding, either," he added with a supportive smile. "I take it that's what that was all about?"

"Something like that," she said, suddenly feeling her head get a little fuzzy from the firewhiskey.

"I know this is probably biased as all hell," he said as he watched he take her turn, "but I don't like the guy."

"You don't even know him."

"And I don't care to. Not if he's got ideas like that floating around in his head."

"He hasn't always been like this. This is all new."

"Oh, well, in that case…" he said sarcastically.

"I didn't say it was an excuse," she said, facing him. "I'm just still working things out. It's complicated."

"Is it?" he asked as he flung his darts at the board aggressively.

"Of course it is," she said in an annoyed and conversation ending tone. She really didn't feel like getting lectured by Ron of all people.

"Look, I'm sorry. It really isn't any of my business."

"You're right, it's not," she countered hastily. She hadn't meant to sound so rude, but it had come out that way. Ron seemed disconcerted, but said nothing more before turning away. She sighed as her conscience got the better of her. "Sorry, I know you just want to help, but you just have to understand that things haven't always been like this. This is all new and strange behavior on his part and," she paused and sighed again in a defeated way, "I just don't know."

He watched her, but didn't say anything. She felt as though her thoughts were swimming laps around in her head and it was getting hard to sort them out. She hated this feeling, but there was no avoiding it at the moment given everything that was going on.

"Can I ask you a question now?" he asked seriously.

"Maybe," she said tentatively.

"You don't have to answer it," he said as he stood up straight so that he was looking her directly in the eyes. "Are you happy?"

"Mostly," she said automatically. It was the first word that had popped into her head.

"Mostly…" he repeated thoughtfully.

"It's compli—"

"-cated." He finished for her. "Right. Is there anything about your relationship that isn't complicated?"

Hermione frowned and turned away. She should have never brought this up with him. "You know, we went through our fair share of complicated, too."

"And we split up last time I checked."

She glared at him, her emotions quickly surfacing. "Well, I'm sorry we can't all just cut and run when things get rough, Ron. Some of us like to at least make an attempt at working things out before we decide to call it quits."

It was a cheap shot and she knew it, but she couldn't help feeling as if he deserved it. He stood there staring at her before taking a deep breath. "I deserved that," he said slowly, "but I can't change the past no matter how much I wish I could—"

"Why do you do this?" she interrupted. She felt a burning sensation in her throat.

"Do what?" he asked as his voice grew hard. "Care about you? Sorry, force of habit. It's sort of hard to kick after almost fifteen years—"

"This is caring?" she asked.

"Wanting you to be happy?" he asked in a tone of annoyed disbelief.

"I am happy!" she snapped as she felt her face getting hot.

"Well, mostly," he said in a terribly patronizing tone before he took a few steps back. "And I'm not going to apologize for wishing more for you than just that. You know, I may have screwed things up along the way, I admit that. I realize that. It doesn't mean I want to sit here and see you put through the same thing over again with some other guy."

Hermione glared at him again before turning away. She wanted to yell and scream at him to mind his own business, but she didn't. She didn't because a part of her realized he was right. Why was she settling for mostly? Why was she trying to work out a relationship with someone who barely had time to make for it, and when he did, he was telling her how he wanted her to change.

"Look," Ron said quickly. "I'm going to go—"

"I hate this," she said finally as the sudden urge to release everything she was thinking overcame her.

"Sorry?"

"I hate how things are now," she said quietly, her heart beating fast. "Sometimes I really do wish things could go back to how they were a few years ago."

"You do?"

She nodded but didn't look at him. Her thoughts suddenly seemed to focus so clearly in her head. "Things were so much more worthwhile a few years ago. I was really making a difference at work, instead of hitting so many roadblocks. I was feeling like I could do anything. I had such a supportive group of people around me who encouraged me and told me I could do anything." She paused. "Like you…"

She could feel his eyes fixed on her, even though she was doing everything in her power not to look at him.

"I mean, back when things were good with us, Ron," she continued, "I was genuinely happy. That's how I can stand here and tell you that I know I'm not now, because I don't even feel a half of that now. There's been a few times where I've wondered why I…why we gave that up and—"

She stopped when Lydia suddenly reappeared behind Ron.

"Hey!" she said happily, swaying on the spot and grabbing Ron to steady herself. "I think I've had too much to drink."

"What?" he asked, sounding disoriented and as though someone had just woken him up.

"Do you think you want to stay much longer?" she asked. "I was thinking perhaps you'd want to come over for a bit." She hesitated and smiled. "Hang out and what not."

"Uh…" He looked flustered as he glanced from her to Hermione. "Lydia, do you think you can give me a second?"

"Yeah," she said with a shrug. "I'll be just over there." She turned towards Hermione. "I really do love that jumper."

Hermione smiled politely, but as she watched Lydia walk away, her smile suddenly grew sad. She turned to Ron with the same sad smile as a sudden strange mixture of melancholy and happiness overcame her. Here she was acting like an idiot and telling him about how she missed the past, when what good would it do? She wasn't even sure where it was coming from, yet here she was saying it. She had almost thought she believed until seeing Lydia just now made her realize that Ron was clearly moving on with his life. He didn't need to be bogged down by her problems, and he didn't need her standing here telling him how she missed things when he obviously didn't. It was probably the last thing he wanted to hear.

"What were you saying?" he asked as he now looked as if he was the one struggling to gather his thoughts.

"I don't even know," she said as she continued to look in the direction that Lydia had walked off in. "You know, she's a really nice girl."

"Who is?"

"Lydia," she said obviously. "The girl you're dating."

"We're not dating."

"Why?" she said with a small laugh. "Is it complicated?"

"No…" he said with an expression that seemed to wonder why they were even talking about this. "It's actually the furthest thing from complicated."

"Well, I wish the both of you luck," she said with a sincere nod. "Here's hoping you can work things out better than I can."

"What?" he asked, sounding completely dumbfounded. "How are we even talking about this? I'm telling you, she and I are not dating."

"Then what do you call it?"

"I call it nothing. Since that's what it is."

She shrugged. "Maybe it is now, but if you give it time, Ron—"

"Hermione," he said. "There is no time to give it." He paused and suddenly looked anxious. "I'm moving to Paris."

She stared at him as the words he had just spoken slowly registered in her head. "You're what?"

"I'm moving to Paris."

"You're moving?" she asked. Everything suddenly began to feel as if it was moving in slow motion. "When?"

"I start work on the first of the month."

"But…" she stammered as she began to feel flustered, "for how long this time?"

"I..." he said quietly as he looked away from her. "I don't have any immediate plans to come back."

"You're actually moving there?" she said, her voice a little louder than before.

He nodded.

"Why didn't you say…?" she began. "But you just got back."

"I was waiting until after the wedding."

"Does Harry…?" she stammered again, but Ron nodded before she could finish.

"He found out today through work, after I put in the transfer."

"You just got back," she repeated.

"I know," he said as he stared at the floor.

"Why Paris?"

"There's just a lot of opportunity for me there," he said, "and there's nothing holding me back here."

Hermione's face suddenly grew cold. "Oh, right."

"It's just a Portkey away," he said with an optimistic smile.

She didn't return it. "That's really great," she said in a forced tone. "Really great, Ron."

"I was hoping you would think so."

She avoided his eyes as she found herself looking at Lydia across the room once more. "You know, you should probably take your date home."

He continued to stare at her, his face suddenly very earnest. "Did you mean what you said before?"

"What?" she asked. She was barely listening to him. Her mind was now racing.

"About wishing things were back like they used to be? Did you mean that?"

She didn't hear him. Her thoughts were far too chaotic at the moment for her to be able to focus on anything he was saying. She should have never taken that firewhiskey shot because it was only making her feel worse. She needed to lie to down. "I've got to go."

"Wait—"

"I'm sure you've got a busy night ahead of you with Lydia," she stammered. "So, do yourself a favor and don't stay up too late.

With that, she turned and walked off to where Harry and Ginny were standing and talking with several of their friends. Her head was now killing her. Ron was moving to Paris. He was actually moving. Just like that, with no real warning. She felt herself getting angry and she wasn't entirely sure why. She should be thrilled for him, but a selfish part of her didn't want him to go. She had just gotten him back in her life and here he was picking up and leaving again.

She shook her head in frustration. Why did she even care? Five minutes ago she had felt like punching him and now she was mad at him for leaving? Why did he constantly have this effect on her? Why did she let him have this effect on her?


	15. Kicks in the Chest

On the day of Harry and Ginny's wedding, the sun was shining exceptionally bright in the center of sky. Hermione found herself squinting after she'd just arrived outside of the Burrow around lunchtime, ready to prepare herself for the big day ahead of her. As she approached the door to the kitchen, she noticed that it was left ajar, and the distinct sound of voices was currently carrying to the outside. She pushed the door forward and was met with Mrs. Weasley's back as she fussed over some tea on the stove top.

"Hello, Molly."

"Oh, Hermione!" Molly said in a startled tone as she turned around from the stove with her wand hastily drawn. "You startled me!"

"I'm sorry," she said before entering. "The door was half open—"

"Oh, it's all right, dear," she said as she put her wand down. "We've been running about all morning trying to get things in order, so I'm sure someone must have just accidentally left it open." She took a deep breath. "It's been quite the morning."

"I can imagine," she said, just as Fleur came bustling into the room with Victoire in tow.

"Iz Ginny ready for me to do her 'air?"

"I'm not sure," Molly said. "I would think so. She said she just had to finish a few last minute things and that she was then going to sit down to finally start getting ready."

"Mummy," Victoire said as she climbed up into a chair next to Hermione. "Can we do my hair yet?"

"Not yet, my love," Fleur said. "We will do yours after we do Ginny's and your grandmuzers," she glanced at Hermione, "and 'ermione's."

"Oh," Hermione said, "you don't have to do mine. I was just going to do it myself before we left."

"I do not mind," Fleur said. "I am quite good with taming curls, you see. My best friend growing up had 'air just as curly as yours."

"Let her do it," said Ginny upon entering the room, her tone chipper. "She won't take no for an answer once she gets going."

"She does a great job!" Victoire said. "It always looks so beautiful when she's finished."

"Sit, Ginny," Fleur said as she pulled out a chair at the table for her.

"Sit?" Ginny laughed. "What does that mean? I felt as if I haven't sat in weeks."

"You can relax tomorrow," Fleur said before she pushed Ginny down in the chair and started fingering through her hair. "Now, what shall we do wiz zis?"

"I'm not wearing it up," Ginny said bluntly.

"Why not?"

"Because I want to wear it down."

"But it would look so pretty up," Molly said as she laid out several cups of tea. Ginny rolled her eyes and glanced up at Fleur, who seemed thinking the same thing as her mother.

"Perhaps we should curl ze ends zen," Fleur said. "It would look very elegant."

"I think so, too!" Victoire said as she watched her mother and her aunt intently. "You'll look so pretty, Aunt Ginny."

Ginny smiled as Fleur grabbed a bottle of hair potion off of the table and began to apply it to Ginny's hair and separate it into pieces.

"So, what time did you leave last night, Hermione?" Ginny asked. "I turned around at one point and you were gone."

"I was home by eleven," she said. "I was just really tired and Martin and I had a fight, so I was in a poor mood. I just left."

"Another one?" Ginny asked as Fleur yanked hard on a piece of her hair and pointed her wand at it. She made a pained face.

"About the same thing," she said wearily, just as Charlie walked into the room.

"Bill's home, right?" he asked Fleur. "Hey, Hermione."

Hermione smiled hello as Fleur nodded absently without looking away from Ginny's head.

"I'm going to their house to get ready," he said to the room before he slung a bag over his shoulder. "It's closer and less hectic at the moment." He glanced specifically at his mother.

"Tell him not to forget ze gift when he leaves," Fleur began, "and to make sure Dominique brushes 'er hair, and zat Louis iz wearing ze new shoes I bought him and not ze old things he insists on wearing everywhere."

"Um, sure," Charlie said doubtfully as he headed straight for the door.

"Charlie," his mother said as she rushed over to him. "Your robes will be a mess of wrinkles if you just throw them into that bag."

"I'll iron them," he said with an amused look before he opened the door. "I learned that somewhere."

"I can't believe you and Martin fought about the same thing again," Ginny said to Hermione. Fleur released a curl and let it fall to Ginny's shoulder.

"I can't either," said Hermione as Molly suddenly left the room in hurry as if she had forgotten to do something. "He was actually mad at me this morning when I stopped by his place."

"Why?"

"Because I didn't want to have it out with him in the middle of the pub last night since that's exactly what would have ended up happening if we had discussed things further." She shook her head. "I don't even think he's coming today."

Ginny snapped her head up and Fleur bopped her on the head with her wand to remind her to keep her head down. She gave her sister-in-law and annoyed looked before turning back towards Hermione. "What do you mean you don't know if he's coming?"

"I went by his house this morning to talk to him," she said. "Like I said, he was mad, but we talked things out for the most part. He suggested that I just take the day to myself so that we could clear our heads. I agreed with him."

"From what I 'ave 'eard about him, 'e sounds like an idiot," Fleur mumbled. "I am sorry, but I 'ave no tolerance for idiots."

"I'm starting to agree with you," Hermione mumbled as she watched Fleur make her way to the other side of Ginny's head.

"What does that mean?" Ginny asked as she snapped her head up again to look at Hermione. This time, she ducked in her seat as Fleur made an attempt to bop her.

Hermione shrugged. "I'm not really sure what it means yet."

Ginny attempted to look at Hermione, even though it was awkward given the position Fleur was currently making her place her head. "So, wait are you thinking about ending things?"

"I don't know, I'm just really frustrated with his behavior lately," she said. "If he's going to keep harping on about how he thinks I should quit my job and cook and clean for the imaginary kids—"

"No," Fleur said, waving her wand towards Hermione. "You do not need someone like zat in your life."

"I actually agree with her," Ginny said, sounding surprised. Victoire, too, nodded in agreement, though Hermione was sure she didn't have the slightest idea as to what was really going on.

"One of these days I'll get things right," Hermione said as she glanced around the room and caught Ginny's eye. She was staring at her strangely.

"Do you all want to hear a joke?" Victoire asked as she sat up straight and took advantage of the silence. "Uncle Ron told me it this morning before he left."

"If Uncle Ron told you it," Ginny said. "It means it's probably not very funny."

"I thought it was," Victoire said slowly. "It's about a hag and a troll."

"And a bridge?" Ginny asked.

Victoire nodded.

"I've been telling Ron to give that joke up since we were kids," Ginny laughed, "but he insists it's good."

"Wait, Ron was here this morning?" Hermione asked.

Ginny looked at her strangely again. "Where else would be have been?"

"I just thought he was spending the night with his," she glanced at Victoire, "friend."

"Oh," Ginny said as she realized what Hermione was insinuating. "I don't know anything about that. All I know is that I was home by 11:30 and he was home shortly after."

"Was he?" Hermione asked as she absently started drumming her fingers on the table. "So, he didn't…" She smiled ever so slightly. "I guess his plans with her didn't pan out, then."

"Doesn't seem that way," Ginny said slowly. "You seem happy about that."

Hermione's smile fell off of her face. "I don't care either way, really."

"You two have been getting along pretty well lately, haven't you?" Ginny asked.

Hermione shrugged. "Sure, I suppose."

"Did you two talk last night?"

"A little," she said as she thought about the heated conversation she and Ron had had the night before. She still felt guilty about snapping at him like she had when he was just trying to help. She had taken all of her aggression towards Martin out on him, when he didn't deserve it. She'd have to make a point of apologizing to him when she saw him later.

"After you fought with Martin?" Ginny asked.

"Why does it matter?" asked Hermione, wondering where exactly Ginny was going with this.

"Oh, no real reason," she said strangely as Fleur curled another piece of hair.

Hermione arched her eyebrow questioningly, but at that moment, Fleur let the last strand of Ginny's hair fall towards her shoulder with a small bounce.

"All done," she said as she took a step back to admire her work.

"That was quick," Ginny said.

"I know what I am doing," Fleur said as she tapped her wand on her shoulder and inspected Ginny's head. "It would 'ave been faster had you not fidgeted so often." She looked at Hermione. "It iz your turn."

"All right," she said begrudgingly. Fleur switched sides of the table and started to sort through Hermione mess of curls.

"I'll wear it up. Whatever's easiest."

"I can make it look very pretty up," she said as she reached for the same bottle of potion that she had used on Ginny.

"Well, I hope it wouldn't be ugly," teased Ginny.

* * *

Hours later, in a clearing in the north of the town of Avesbury, Ron stood on a hillside staring over a vast lake and a forest of trees. The sky was cloudy as the sun sank lower in the sky, but it didn't look as if it would rain. It was quite picturesque if one really stood back to appreciate it all. Ron, however, wasn't doing much appreciating at the moment. His thoughts were somewhere else entirely.

He had slept maybe two hours the night before upon arriving home far earlier than he had anticipated. He had planned to have much longer night. A much more exciting and eventful night as it were, but when it came down to it he had just ended up taking Lydia home, wishing her good night, and heading back to the Burrow to lay in his bed staring at the ceiling for hours on end.

"You just took her home?" Harry had asked him that morning as they sat in his living room attempting to avoid all the things they had to do before the ceremony. "You didn't even try—?"

Ron shrugged. "I just wasn't in the mood."

Harry stared at him curiously. "Well, better luck tonight then, I guess. I'm sure things will pan out for you."

"Yeah, maybe," he said in a disinterested tone. The truth was, the actual reason he hadn't gone through with his original plans was because he now couldn't stop thinking about what Hermione had said to him the night before. It was as if someone had flipped a switch in his brain. She had said she missed the way things were; the way things used to be. She was getting fed up with what-his-name and maybe, just maybe, she missed him.

He would have never guessed hearing those words come out of her mouth would have had such an impact on him. He had thought he may have missed her, but he was under the impression that he was kidding himself or just dealing with old feelings that were hard to shake after over a decade of having them. He'd never considered that they might still be real. Even on the off chance that he had, he was content pushing them away and just being friends again…or so he thought until he heard her say she missed things.

Now he wasn't sure what he wanted. He wanted her to break up with that moron; that was certain. However, did he want her to do that because it was what was best for her, or because he wanted her? Why did he even think he had chance? Sure, she said she missed the way things used to be, but she didn't say she wanted them back. She didn't say she wanted him back. Why should she after the way he handled things when they broke up? He'd been surprised she still wanted to talk to him at all, let alone salvage any sort of friendship.

It was different now, though. He wasn't that guy anymore and he didn't want to let himself be that guy again because no one deserved to deal with that. He realized how stupid he'd been. Not stupid for feeling like he had, but for shutting out everyone who had cared enough to want to help him; for all but telling them to piss off. He hadn't realized the irony of it all until he and Hermione had split up, but he had done it all for her. Worked the shitty hours at the job he hated just so that he wouldn't be a failure to her, yet, in the end, it had cost him the entire relationship he'd been trying so hard to secure a future for.

Ron turned for staring off the cliffside and started to walk back towards the large white tent where the reception was to be held. As he entered, a group of waiters were wandering around and chatting amongst themselves as they waited for the festivities to begin. He glanced around and noticed no noticeable press or reporters, and no suspicious looking faces. Had they actually pulled this off?

He pulled back a curtain that led to a small partition in the tent where Harry was sitting with Teddy and Andromeda.

"Where you been?" Harry asked.

"Walking around," Ron said.

"Anything going on out there?"

"The waiters are here," he said. "And none of them look clever enough to be doing anything covert. I'm pretty sure they're actual waiters."

Harry grinned. "Good to hear. Give it time, though."

"Oh, I know," he said as Teddy jumped up and down in his dress robes, his hair black like Harry's today. Andromeda put her hand on his shoulder.

"You can jump around all you like as soon as the ceremony is over," she said. "Until then, you need to behave and keep your robes tidy."

Teddy made a disgruntled face. "How long until the ceremony?"

"About an hour or so," Ron said as he checked his watch. "People should be arriving soon."

"Hey," Harry said with a nod towards Ron. "Why don't you do me a favor and show Teddy what he's supposed to do out there. I think I'm going to get dressed."

"Okay," Ron said with a glance towards Teddy. "Come on, Ted. Let's go rehearse."

"What do I need to rehearse?" he asked as he and Andromeda left Harry on his own to change.

"Walking."

"I can already do that," Teddy said as they made their way outside of the tent and back towards an area by the hill where several chairs had been set up in front of a small alter.

"Ah, but can you?" Ron asked playfully. "You can't walk too fast you see, or too slow."

"How fast is fast?" Teddy asked once they stopped at the beginning of the aisle.

"Okay," Ron said standing on the spot. "Here's how you have to do it. It's going to be you and Victoire, and you'll both have to walk together at the same speed."

He groaned. "The entire way?"

"You make it sound like an eternity." He threw Andromeda an amused look. "Now, what you want to do is take and step and pause," he took and step and paused, "and then do it again." He repeated the steps. "And then you just do it until you get to the very end of the aisle where Harry and I'll be standing."

Teddy edged his way towards the aisle and did exactly as Ron had just done. He made his way all the way down and all the way back again.

"I think he's got it," Ron said as he took a seat in an empty aisle.

"What do I do when I get to the end?" Teddy asked.

"You come and stand next to me. You and I get to stand there until Harry and Ginny are done, and when they kiss, you'll know its over."

"That sounds really easy. Is that it?"

"Yep," Ron said with a nod. "And after that, you get to drink pumpkin juice and eat sweets and have fun."

"Yes!" Teddy said with an excited smile. "I like that part!"

"I do, too," Ron said as the noise of several people Apparting around him suddenly made him turn his head. It was his parents, Ginny, Fleur, and Victoire.

"There's Ginny!" Teddy said as he started running towards them.

"We'll be lucky to keep those robes clean for the next hour," Andromeda said as she and Ron stood and followed Teddy towards the group.

"Is Harry here?" Ginny asked as Ron approached.

"Nah, he got called into work," he said with a shrug. Ginny knew better than to fall for it; the look of horror on his mother's face alone was worth saying it.

"As if I'm not wound up enough, Ronald," his mother said as she swatted him.

"He's over there," he said, gesturing towards the other side of the tent. "You ladies can all go and hide over on that end." He paused and inspected his sister. "You know, you look very pretty, Ginny."

She smiled. "Thanks."

"It will be better once she is dressed," Fleur said as she let go of Victoire's hand. "I need to get dressed properly as well."

"Hey Ted," Ron said, nudging him. "Why don't you go and show Victoire what I just taught you?"

"Oh, yeah," he said as he rounded on Victoire. "I have to teach you how to walk."

"I already know how to walk," she said.

"This is different," he said as he grabbed her hand and tugged her. "Come on, I have to show you."

"Don't mess your dress up," Fleur called after her, but the two of them were already running off towards the aisle.

"You look very handsome," Molly said to Ron as she straightened out the front of his robes. "So, very grown up."

"It only took me twenty-four years," he said with a smirk. "And you look lovely, Mum." He glanced at his father. "You too, dad. Don't want to leave you out."

"Aw, thanks," Arthur joked as he cleaned his glasses on his dress robes, though, a popping noise right beside him made him suddenly jump. Hermione had just appeared.

"Oh!" she said, having been startled upon seeing how close she had landed to everyone. "Hi, everybody."

"Is he definitely not coming, dear?" Molly asked her.

"It doesn't seem so," she said as she caught Ron eye and gave him a friendly smile. She juggled her garment bag in her hand. "It's better this way, though."

"Who's not coming?" Arthur asked.

"Martin," said Hermione.

"Really?" Ron asked almost too quickly. Hermione nodded.

"Well, no matter," Molly said as she pointed towards the tent that Ginny and Fleur had disappeared inside of. "Come, let's get you dressed, Hermione."

"Oh," Hermione said, quickly looking at Ron before addressing Molly. "I'll be there in just a minute." She turned back to Ron. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

"Sure. Absolutely," he said a little too willingly as they walked several steps away from where Arthur was observing them. "What's up?"

"I just wanted to apologize for last night," she said. "I don't know what got into me."

He stared at her. His stomach suddenly felt like it was doing cartwheels inside of him.

"You were just trying to help and be a good friend and," she smiled, "I was mad at Martin and that shot of firewhiskey probably didn't help things. I ended up taking everything out on you, and you didn't deserve it."

"Oh…" he said slowly. "Yeah, no, I know. I'm not upset or anything."

"I didn't mean anything I said," she said sincerely. "I just wanted to make sure things were okay with us."

His stomach stopped doing cartwheels the second she said that she hadn't meant anything she had said. He suddenly felt as if his voice was caught in his throat and refused to escape. He couldn't muster the words, so he just nodded his head.

"Good," she said with a breath of relief. "I thought maybe you'd be mad."

"Nope," he stammered, forcing a smile. "Not at all."

She smiled. "We can just forget about all of last night and how I acted like a complete idiot, then?"

Ron made an awkward face and started nodding his head quickly. "To be honest, I haven't even given it a second thought," he lied.

Hermione continued smiling as she took a few steps towards the tent in which to change. "All right, well I've got to get ready, but I'll see you a little later."

"Yeah…" he mumbled as he watched her walk away, feeling as if someone had literally just kicked him in the chest. That was it then. He'd got his answer. He was an idiot for even thinking that—

"So, when is your date coming?" Arthur asked as Ron suddenly remembered he was standing nearby.

"Lydia?" he asked, as if just remembering her name. "Oh, right."

"Right..." his father repeated slowly.

"She should be here for the reception," he said, glancing at his dad who was starting at him oddly.

"But if she just so happens to not show up," added Arthur, "you probably wouldn't go out of your way to find her, I'm assuming." His eyes drifted towards the changing tent Hermione had just disappeared into.

"I know what you're playing at," Ron said. "And the answer is no."

"Is it?"

He frowned as he thought of everything Hermione had just said to him. "Yeah, it definitely is."

Arthur continued to stare at him. He didn't seem to believe a word Ron was saying.

"It's not going to happen," Ron said in a frustrated manner as he looked over towards the changing tent. "I—I'll always have a soft spot for her, I guess, but," he shook his head, "I need to move on to other things."

"I see," Arthur said thoughtfully. "Other things like moving to Paris?"

He looked at his father in surprise. "How'd you know?"

"Bill told me."

"I was waiting until after the wedding to tell everyone."

"I assumed so."

"Does Mum know?"

He shook his head. "She'll ask me to ask you if there's anything I can say to you to get you to stay, though. She always does when one of you decides to run off somewhere. I might as well do that now."

Ron smiled a little as the realization of what moving actually meant hit him all of the sudden. He'd almost forgotten he was leaving what with his mind being so preoccupied lately. Suddenly, the idea of starting over sounded better than ever. He almost wished he could leave as soon as possible. "No. I really want to do this," he said.

"I figured that, too," Arthur said as he patted his youngest son on the back. "I think it'll be good for you."

"I think it'll be good for me, too," Ron said as he watched Teddy and Victoire in the distance as they practiced up and down the aisle together.

"I can't believe Ginny's getting married today," Arthur said as he followed Ron's gaze. "You know, it feels like just yesterday she was Victoire's age."

Ron smiled.

"And then to Harry," Arthur laughed. "Twenty something years ago, if you would have told me my daughter was going to marry Harry Potter, I would have thought you were mad."

"Ten years ago," Ron said, "if you would have told me my best friend would end up marrying my sister, I would have thought you were mad."

"It's funny how things have a way of working out, isn't it?"

"It's funny how they don't," Ron mumbled under his breath as he cast one last look towards the changing tent.


	16. The Wedding

Hermione chanced a look outside of the tent and in the direction of where the ceremony would take place just yards away. The seats were filling up and most of the guests were quickly making their way in. She saw Hagrid sitting at the very back, chatting with Kingsley Shacklebolt, who had just arrived. She saw Percy's wife, Audrey, also standing off to the side adn towards the back of the group, rocking a baby in her arms while Percy engaged in conversation with Charlie and Bill. She smiled as she noticed Neville and Hannah taking seats at the back while Luna Lovegood followed them in robes of bright pink.

"I am going to sit," Fleur said as she flattened her dress down in front of her and fixed her hair. "You look fantastic, Ginny."

Hermione turned her attention back to Ginny. Molly was straightening out the bottom of Ginny's dress as she stood there staring straight ahead into space. She really did look exceptional with her long red hair standing out against the white of the dress.

"Nervous?" Hermione asked her as she bent down to help Molly.

"A little," Ginny said with a weary smile. "I can't tell if I'm more excited or nervous."

Hermione grinned as Fleur bent down next to her to fix one of Victoire's curls and adjust the big green bow in her hair.

"Just remember to smile, my love," she said as she kissed her daughter on the cheek and then proceeded to wipe the lipstick mark she had left off. She smiled at her and then turned and smiled at Ginny once more before exiting the tent.

"Are you nervous, Vicki?" Ginny asked.

"A little," she said as she wrung her fingers. "Don't worry, though. I know exactly what I'm doing."

Ginny and Molly laughed as someone suddenly pulled back the curtain of the tent.

"Everybody decent?" George asked as he poked his head inside, his hand covering his eyes. "I passed Fleur and she said you all were, but I'd rather not chance an accidental encounter."

"We are," Hermione said as he pulled his hand down. His eyes went straight to Ginny. He looked her up and down.

"Go ahead," Ginny said. "Let's hear what witty comment you've got ready."

"Believe it or not," he said, "I've got nothing, Ginny." He smiled. "You look beautiful. Really grown up. Part of me wants to go and kick Harry's arse right now."

She laughed. "Thanks, George."

"The rest of you all look amazing as well," he said as he leaned down and picked up Victoire. "And who is this pretty lady? I was looking for my niece."

"It is me, Uncle George!"

"I don't believe it," he said. "You look so grown up and my niece is just this little girl."

"George, you'll wrinkle her dress," Molly said as she ushered him to put her down.

"Not her dress!" he mocked as he put her back down on the ground. "Anyway, I was sent to let you all know we'll be ready in just a couple minutes." He glanced at Ginny. "Don't be nervous."

"I'm not," she said coolly.

"Good, because how embarrassing would it be to fall in front of all of those people?"

"George!" his mother said.

He grinned as another head suddenly poked itself inside the tent. It was Arthur, accompanied by Teddy. "Are we almost ready?" he asked as an immediate smile crossed his face as he took in Ginny.

"Oh, wow, it's time already," Ginny said anxiously as she glanced at her father.

"The band said they'd start playing once we give them the signal." He glanced at George, who was standing next to him. "George, you're escorting your mother, aren't you?"

"Am I?"

"You are now," he said with a look back at Molly. "Harry and Ron will come out when they hear the music and that'll be when you and George start walking. Then the kids will go, of course."

"How will we know when to go?" Victoire asked as she glanced at Teddy.

"Hermione will let you know," Ginny reassured her before she reached over and handed Victoire a basket of flowers. "Remember just throw them as you go."

"So, take another minute," Arthur said. "And then we can start."

Hermione glanced down at herself and straightened her dress. She caught her reflection in the mirror and smiled faintly. Fleur really had done a lovely job with her hair. It was up in a classy looking bun with tendrils of hair falling around her face as to frame it. It was more work that she would have probably done to it, but she was glad she had let Fleur do it after all was said and done.

"All right," George said with a glance at Ginny once he grabbed the curtain of the tent. "You ready?"

"I'm ready," she said with a deep, calming breath.

He began to wave at someone outside of the tent. It took just a few moments before the sounds of a slow but melodic tune started to fill the air. Hermione took a deep breath herself as George held out his arm for his mother to take. She did and they both disappeared outside.

Hermione took several steps forward to take George's place by tent entrance to observe what was happening. The timing couldn't have been better as the sun began to set in the western sky and bathe the wedding guests in a magical, storybook sort of light that only a sunset was capable of. Her eyes wandered to the alter, where Harry and Ron stood side by side watching as George and Mrs. Weasley made their way towards them. Hermione couldn't help but smile and feel the emotion overwhelm her. She'd never seen the pair of them look handsomer.

"Do we go now?" Teddy asked as he and Victoire stared up at Hermione. She had been so caught up with everything that she hadn't even noticed the pair of them wiggle their way in front of her.

"Oh, yes," Hermione said, taking a step back. "Good luck, both of you."

Teddy and Victoire both emerged from the tent to the sudden sounds of "awws." Hermione watched as several people stood to catch a better look, while Fleur was now energetically taking pictures from her seat. She could see Harry swell with pride the closer the pair of them got to the end of the aisle as the sound of appreciative laughter suddenly emitted from the crowd. Harry and Ron both started visibly laughing.

"What happened?" Ginny asked.

"I don't know, I couldn't tell," Hermione said as she reached down and grabbed her own bouquet of flowers. She gave Ginny one last reassuring smile before she made her way out of the tent and towards the crowd of onlookers.

She smiled happily as she noticed several flashes from a camera go off from somewhere. She caught a glimpse of Professor McGonagall in the crowd before she focused solely straight ahead and onto Harry and Ron. They both smiled at her on cue when she made eye contact with them, and she returned the smile affectionately as she made it to the end of the aisle and took her spot on the bride's side. Now that she was standing so close to Harry, she couldn't keep her eyes from welling up with tears.

She tried her hardest to compose herself, but the second she saw Ginny emerge from the tent with her father by her side, she couldn't hold it in any longer. Silent tears began to slowly fall down her face as the crowd stood and appropriately watched. Ginny smiled modestly as she walked, but the second her eyes met Harry's her smile and eyes grew wide with excitement. Harry, too, seemed completely awestruck by the moment, and suddenly shifted his feet nervously on the spot, never once taking his eyes off of Ginny. He was smiling the widest that Hermione had ever seen him, and this alone filled her with an enormous sense of happiness as she watched. This was all really happening.

Ginny made it to the end and kissed her father on the cheek as he stood back and took a seat next to the sobbing Mrs. Weasley. Arthur, too, looked as if he had tear or two in his eye once Hermione caught a full glimpse of his face. There were quite a few criers in the audience she noticed. No one more noticeable than Hagrid once he blew loudly into his handkerchief at the back of the room.

"Ladies and gentlemen," said an elder wizard standing at the center of the alter as Harry and Ginny turned to face him. "We are gathered here today to join in union two faithful souls…"

Hermione reached down and pulled out her own handkerchief that she had wrapped around the stem of her bouquet. She dabbed her eyes and sniffled quietly and the wizard proceeding over the ceremony spoke of love and commitment and the appreciation of another person that one has to have in order to give themselves to someone. She couldn't help but wonder if she would find that sort of person in her own life given the lack of success she'd had in relationships thus far. This thought made her eyes suddenly drift towards Ron.

He was standing there dutifully with his hands crossed in front of him as he watched the elder wizard speak. She observed him as he reached up to itch his nose every so often, and also as his eyes occasionally flickered to Harry. She was just about to look away as the elder wizard mentioned something about "a love that transcends circumstance," but then, Ron suddenly looked at her. Their eyes met for only a few seconds before he smiled at her and looked away.

"Do you Harry James take Ginevra Molly to be your partner in life through good times and bad?"

"I do," Harry croaked as Ginny smiled at him admiringly. Hermione could feel the tears welling up again as the elder wizard asked Ginny the same question.

"I do," Ginny managed to stammer and she and Harry suddenly laughed more out of nerves and excitement rather than anything actually being funny.

"Well then," said elder wizard as he raised his wand above their heads as stars began to pour out of the tip. "I pronounce you both, bonded for life! Ladies and Gentlemen, if you would please stand up!"

Everyone stood and began to cheer loudly and happily as Harry wrapped his arms around Ginny and pulled her in to kiss her. The crowd cheered louder. They broke apart and, both smiling, made their way down the aisle and towards the tent set for the reception. Hermione couldn't help but notice that the setting sun reflecting off of Ginny's hair seemed very fitting for the moment. She reached up and dabbed her eyes once more.

"Always the crier," Ron whispered to her as she took his arm and proceeded to walk with him down the aisle.

* * *

The tent for the reception had transformed completely in just the few moments it had taken for the ceremony to end. The tables were decorated in dark green and gold colors as bouquets of various flowers ran beautifully around the perimeter of the tent. The band had already made their way inside and began to play an upbeat tune for people to enjoy as they entered.

"It looks incredible," Ginny said as she and Harry entered hand in hand. Several waiters noticed the pair and went straight to work levitating food trays and champagne bottles to start circulating the room. They also began pointing and whispering once they fully realized who the bride and groom were.

"It really does," he said happily, taking notice of the waiters and giving them a friendly smile. The ceremony had gone off without a hitch or disturbance, which was what he had wanted most. Now he could relax a little. Ginny seemed to be reading his mind.

"Here's hoping we get just as lucky for the reception," she said as she squeezed his hand in hers. It was in that moment that Ron and Hermione entered the tent and came straight at them.

"You're married!" Hermione gushed as she rushed over to hug Ginny before doing the same to Harry. "It was such a lovely ceremony!"

"Could you see my knees shaking?" Harry asked as Ron wrapped his arm around Harry's shoulder and shook him happily.

"You seemed very poised," Hermione said as the rest of the guests began to make their way into the tent. Several of which began making a beeline straight for Harry and Ginny.

"Time for the meet and greet," Ginny said to Harry as Kingsley Shacklebolt led the pack.

"Mr. and Mrs. Potter, then," he said happily once he approached them. "Congratulations."

"Thank you, Kingsley," Harry said as he shook his hand. "And thanks for coming. I know how busy you are."

"We'll be around," Ron whispered to Harry as he made a gesture between Hermione and himself. "If you manage to break free."

"Yeah, okay," he said as Ginny hugged her mother before Molly made her way to him.

"Absolutely beautiful ceremony," Molly sobbed. "Oh, Harry, I'm so happy you're now a member of the family."

"Thanks, Molly," Harry said as Arthur gave him a wink and smile before leading Molly off to find a seat.

"Congratulations to the pair of you," Percy boasted as he and Audrey approached behind his parents. "It was lovely."

"Thanks, Perce," Ginny said as she peeked into Audrey's arms and sweetly observed the baby. "Look how big Molly has gotten!"

"Looks like her mother," Percy said proudly as his eyes caught wind of a tray of food floating nearby. He immediately proceeded to follow it.

"Good thing she looks like her mother..." George said loud enough for Percy to hear as he hugged his sister. "Good show not falling or passing out, both of you."

"Thanks, George," Harry said with a smile as he noticed that he was accompanied by Lydia and her friend from the night before. As it were, Lydia looked quite pale.

"You look beautiful," she said to Ginny with a weak smile as her friend followed George. "Congratulations."

"Thank you," Ginny said as she watched her trail after her friend. She looked back at Harry. "She didn't look very well."

Harry shrugged before he smiled and hugged Andromeda, who was next in the group. He glanced down at Teddy.

"You were perfect," he said as he watched Ginny lean down to hug him. "Thank you for everything."

"You're welcome," he said as Harry then leaned down and hugged him tightly.

"So, wait," Ginny asked. "What was so funny earlier when you and Victoire were walking? I heard people giggling."

"Victoire ran out of flowers," Teddy said as he shook his head. "So, she stopped to pick some up so that she would have enough to make it to the end."

"It was cute," Harry said.

"I told her she didn't have to," Teddy explained. "She didn't listen."

"It's okay," Harry said with a smile as Andromeda ushered Teddy along so as to not hold up the line.

"I love that kid," Harry said proudly as he was greeted by a large and overbearing bear hug courtesy of Hagrid.

"Beautiful it was," he said happily. "Oh, Harry. Ginny. I'm so proud!"

"Thanks, Hagrid," he managed to mumble with his face squished against Hagrid's side. It wasn't until Hagrid released him that he could thank him properly.

"You look beautiful," Charlie said, giving a Ginny a hug as his current girlfriend Leah followed suit and gushed about how lovely Ginny looked. He turned towards Harry and hugged him. "Congratulations."

"Thanks," Ginny said warmly as they greeted the next several people in line before coming to Neville and Hannah.

"You know, it really does seem like yesterday that you and I were off to the Yule Ball," Neville said as he hugged Ginny. "It's a good thing that never worked out."

Ginny and Harry both laughed as Neville smiled and took Hannah's hand right as Luna approached the pair.

"I'm so glad to know you two," she said warmly, pulling out a small and strange looking stone from her handbag. "This is for you."

Ginny took it and examined it. "Thanks, but what is it?"

"It's an extremely rare pebble found only in Nepal," she said. "It's supposed to bring great success and fertility to your relationship."

"Oh," Harry said as he and Ginny exchanged looks of mild confusion. "Thanks, Luna…"

"Be warned, though," she added. "It's been told that if you keep it near you while you are experiencing any sort of sexual union, that children are almost a guaranteed result. It's quite powerful. So, keep it in another room unless you're planning children quickly."

Harry and Ginny stared blankly at her.

"But the luck and prosperity it will bring you is well worth the risk," she said pleasantly before she skipped off to join the party.

"Let's make sure we keep that in a very well monitored place," Harry said, taking it from Ginny as she eagerly handed it off.

"You looked wonderful!" Fleur said as she kissed Ginny on both cheeks before doing the same to Harry. "And you, so handsome!"

"Victoire you were wonderful," Ginny said, reaching down to hug her.

She blushed. "Thank you."

"Okay," Bill said to both Dominique and Louis as he held them in his arms so that they were eye level with Ginny and Harry. "Just like we practiced, you two. Ready?"

"Hi, Uncle Harry!" they both said in unison before breaking into a fit of giggles.

"Hi guys," Harry said as he and Ginny smiled. Bill laughed as Fleur took Dominique from him and lead them off.

"Oh, Potter," Professor McGonagall said as Bill led his family away. "You know, I see a lot of students grow up, but some are just more memorable than others."

Harry smiled.

"And you look beautiful, Miss Weasley," McGonagall said appraisingly before stopping and realizing what she had said. "Mrs. Potter, that is. You're a married woman now."

"I'll still always be a Weasley," she said with a small shrug.

"I'd know Professor Dumbledore would be ever so proud of you," McGonagall said to Harry. "As would your parents. Very much so."

"Thank you," he said as she made her way into the party. Harry suddenly took a moment to glance around the room. People were eating, drinking, smiling, and laughing as they gathered at tables and rejoiced over the occasion. This was he and Ginny's day to celebrate, and he was exceptionally happy to be here doing it with the people he cared about.

"Look who it is!" Ginny said minutes later after they finished greeting several of Ginny's Quidditch teammates.

"Seamus," Harry said. "It's been too long." He glanced over and noticed Dean Thomas and a taller woman standing next to him. "And Dean!"

"It's good to see you two," Seamus said, giving Harry a hearty handshake. "Congrats on all of this."

"Yeah," Dean said happily. "I'm really happy for you both."

"Thank you," Ginny said as Dean introduced them to his girlfriend and they proceeded to briefly catch up before they excused themselves to find a seat and let Harry and Ginny get to the remainder of their guests.

"Thank you for coming, Darcy" Ginny said to her team's manager as she hugged her. "I'm so glad you could make it."

"It's my pleasure. And oh, I've already got the team's press people ready for the news to hit," she said as she ran her hand through her short hair. "We're anticipating owls by the flock load come Monday, but good for you both for keeping it so well hidden."

"We tried," Harry said as Darcy waved for someone to join them. "Ginny, I know you've met my friend here a few times, but Harry I don't think you have."

Harry turned and could physically feel his eyes widen with surprise at the man towering towards them.

"This is Kensworth Judge," Darcy said with a smile. "We've been friends for ages and he kindly enough agreed to accompany me tonight."

"Harry Potter," Judge said with a strong handshake as his burly presence seemed to almost eclipse Harry. "It's so good to meet you. I've told Ginny here how I'd always hoped to get the chance."

"Likewise," Harry said with a small smile. "I follow your game. It's impressive."

"Why thank you," he said as he smiled politely at Ginny. "Weasley, you clean up nice."

She smirked. "Gee, thanks."

"You're a lucky man, Potter," Judge said. "I've always thought highly of Ginny, here."

"He's only saying that because it's my wedding day," she joked. "But since you're here Kensworth, you will have to meet a friend of mine. He happens to think very highly of you, you see. No matter how hard I try to shake it out of him."

"Oh, is that so?" he asked with the boisterous laugh that he was known for.

Harry smiled as he started scanning the room for Teddy. He found him sitting off to the side with his grandmother, along with Percy and Bill's families. "I'll get him," he said as he excused himself and made his way across the room. He heard several people calling his name, but he pretended not to hear them as he approached the table where Teddy was eating cheese and grapes. "Hey," he said, bending down. "What are you up to?"

"Eating," Teddy said as he offered him a grape. "Want one?"

"No, thanks," Harry said, unable to really hold his smile. "Can I borrow you for a minute?"

Teddy's eyes suddenly drifted to a tray floating by with hot hor'dourves on it. He seemed hesitant as he pointed. "But I've been waiting for that one."

"I'll make sure you get some," Harry said as he gave Andromeda a smile. "Come on, I think you'll like this."

"Like what?"

"I just have someone I'd like you to meet," he said as he led Teddy through the room and over to where he had been before. Teddy followed, and as Harry and he grew closer to where Judge was standing, he suddenly turned in their direction and Teddy caught a full look of the large Quidditch player. He stopped in his tracks.

"Is that…?" Teddy asked before trailing off. He didn't seem to be able to get the words out.

"Yeah," Harry said, also stopping. "Come on, let's go and introduce you to him."

He shook his head rapidly. "That's Judge! I'm too nervous."

"Don't be nervous," Harry said, stepping towards him. "He's just a normal person, like you and me."

"No, he's not," he said apprehensively without taking his eyes off of Judge. "He's Judge!"

It was in that moment that Ginny noticed the pair of them and pointed in their direction. Judge turned and smiled warmly before he filled the several steps that Teddy had left between them. With every step he took, Teddy's head rose higher and higher in the air in order to keep looking at him.

"This must be Teddy," Kensworth, said reaching out a hand to shake his. "I've heard a lot about you."

Teddy didn't move. He just kept staring.

"All good things, of course," he said, still smiling. "I heard you're a fan of the Wasps?"

He still didn't move. Harry almost wanted to check to see if he was still breathing.

"He's just a very big fan," Harry said as he laid a reassuring hand on Teddy's shoulder. Teddy immediately took a step towards him as he did it. "He's just a little star struck."

"Star struck by me?" Judge asked with his signature hearty laugh. "You have Harry Potter as a friend and you're star struck by me?"

Teddy looked up at Harry before staring back at Judge. He seemed confused. "He's just Harry."

Harry smiled and shrugged as Judge laughed again.

"Well, you seem like a very nice young man, Teddy," he said. "And I'll tell you what, if you'd like to come to any Wasps games, you just let me know, all right? I'll be sure to get you great seats."

Teddy nodded slowly, his eyes as big as saucers.

"It was nice meeting you," he said as he stuck his hand out once more. This time, Teddy slowly took it.

"That a boy," Judge said before turning and walking back to where Darcy and Ginny were still chatting.

"How about that?" Harry asked Teddy.

"Kensworth Judge shook my hand," he said to Harry, as if he hadn't just witnessed the entire encounter.

"Pretty cool."

"I'm going to go tell my Grams," he said immediately, turning on the spot and running off without another. Harry felt Ginny's hand on his side as he watched him go.

"Judge seemed to find it amusing that Teddy would give a hoot about him when he knows you."

"To Teddy, I'm just boring old Harry," he said, smiling back. "And that's the way I prefer it."

She grinned.

"You know," he said as he realized that he and Ginny finally had a second to themselves as they stood off to the side observing everyone eating and socializing. "You look absolutely incredible, Gin. I think everyone here has gotten a chance to tell you that but me."

"You look pretty good yourself," she said, leaning into him and kissing him. She paused and pulled back and stared down at the lapel of Harry's robes. "What's in your pocket?"

Harry reached in and pulled out the stone that Luna had given them.

"That kiss right there may have very well just gotten you pregnant," he joked.

"That's not funny," she said with a hesitant smile as she took it from him and started to examine at it closer. "You think there's any truth to it?"

"I'm not taking any chances," he said as he shook his head as he turned to make his way towards their table. "That thing is sitting outside tonight."


	17. Revelations

An hour later—as the reception was underway—Ron found himself sitting between Lydia and his brother, Charlie, as they finished dinner. George was sitting nearby and telling Lydia's friend, Ezzie, a loud and animated story about Quidditch playing at Hogwarts while Lee Jordan, Neville, and Hannah all listened in on the opposite side of him. Hermione was seated at the far side of the table; having a quiet conversation with Luna as they ate.

Ron glanced at Lydia, who was sitting next to him. She had barely touched her dinner. In fact, she hadn't spoken much at all over the last several minutes.

"Not hungry, then?" he asked.

"No," she said. "Sorry, I'm just not feeling very well."

"Maybe if you ate something," Ezzie encouraged as she turned towards her. "You'd probably feel loads better."

"I don't think so," she said, standing up and placing her napkin on her plate. "Excuse me."

Ron, Ezzie, George all watched her go. Ezzie looked particularly concerned as her friend's condition.

"If she doesn't feel well, she should probably go home and try to get some rest," Ron said.

"Lydia's a fighter," Ezzie said. "She could be half dead on the floor and she'd be fighting through just to save face."

"That's stupid," Ron said as the band started to kick up again and all around him, several people began to take to the dance floor. "Why bother suffering for this?"

"I'm going to go and check on her," she said before she stood. "Excuse me."

"That's a drag, huh?" said George once Ezzie was out of earshot. "She was really looking forward to this, but I really think she had too much to drink last night." He looked at Ron. "And then there's your crap luck, of course. Looks like your chances of getting some just decreased to nil."

Ron shrugged. "I really don't care." His eyes drifted across the table to where Hermione was sitting, though he found himself experiencing a pang of annoyance the instant he glanced at her. At that very moment, Luna stood and mentioned something about how fond she was of this particular song. Seconds later, she was making her way out to the dance floor to sway happily to the melody.

"Is she just dancing by herself?" Hannah asked.

"That's Luna," Neville said with a small smile just as Lydia and Ezzie returned. Lydia's face was slightly more flushed, but she was smiling.

"I'm so sorry," she said as she sat back down. "Don't let me bring your night down."

"If you don't feel well," Ron said. "You should go." He frowned. "You're just making yourself worse."

"I'll be okay," she said, forcing a smile.

Ron shook his head before turning away from her and glancing out at dance floor where Harry and Ginny dancing front and center amongst their guests. He couldn't help but notice that they seemed really happy.

"Come on, Ezzie," George said as he stood up. "Shall we dance?"

"Oh," she said in a tone of surprise. "Sure, I'd love to."

"Come on you lazy bums," George said, gesturing to everyone else at the table. "This is a party, not a funeral. Get up and get going."

Neville and Hannah laughed, but stood all the same and followed them out to the dance floor. It took Charlie and Leah a few seconds of hesitating before they too shrugged and decided why not. Ron glanced at Lydia before he heard Lee Jordan ask Hermione if she'd like to dance.

"I do like this song," she said with a friendly smile as she stood and followed Lee. Ron watched, his eyes drifting from them to everyone else around the dance floor before landing lastly on his parents. He couldn't help but grin when he saw them dancing tenderly together on the far end. He suddenly hoped he could be that happy on his children's wedding one day...whenever that day was.

A bottle of champagne came drifting into view and the sudden urge to grab it overcame him. He easily felt he could help himself to a large glass—or even a bottle. Perhaps his mood would improve if he drank more?

"Smile!" he heard someone say from behind him as he turned to see Andromeda attempting to take a picture of Victoire and Teddy together. Victoire was beaming at the camera, though Teddy only mustered a sheepish grin.

"You can do better than that," Andromeda said as she lifted up her camera once more. "Come on Teddy, big smile."

"I am smiling," he said obviously.

Victoire looked at him as if she was inspecting him. It was then that she took her two index fingers and poked them in the corners of Teddy's mouth, so as to force him to smile. She turned and smiled brightly for the camera just as Andromeda snapped the picture.

"Oh, I'll have to frame that one," Andromeda gushed as Victoire giggled and Teddy rolled his eyes. Though, he was genuinely smiling on his own now.

"They're cute," Ron heard Lydia say as he turned back around to face her. She, too, had apparently been watching the kids. "The little girl is your niece, right?"

Ron nodded absently. "Yeah, and the boy is Harry's godson."

"I've seen them both in the store before," she said in a quiet sort of way. "You've got a really large family it seems."

"You get used to it," he said.

She smiled weakly. "I feel terrible about this, but I really think I should go. I'm doing nothing but keeping you from having fun."

Ron cracked a small smile. "Trust me, it's not you."

"I really should go," she said heavily. "You're right. I really should try to get some rest. I'm in a right state." She forced a smile. "And you should enjoy yourself. After all, this is your sister and your friend's wedding."

He watched her stand and wondered if he should say something. It wasn't her fault everything was annoying him at the moment, but at the same time, he wasn't sorry to see her go. It was actually a relief of sorts. He stood up. "I hope you feel better."

"Thanks," she said. "I'm going to go and tell Ezzie that I'm off. Goodnight, Ron."

He watched as she approached George and Ezzie on the dance floor before glancing down at his glass of champagne. He quickly picked it up and downed it in one gulp. What a night this was turning out to be.

"Oh well," he mumbled to himself as he looked around the room. Most of his friends and family were busy dancing or drinking themselves stupid—which were the only activities that he considered viable options for the night. He watched as everyone on the dance floor suddenly parted so that they could observe his father and Ginny dance to a sentimental tune together. He stood there taking in the display for himself until a small head appeared from underneath a table next to his leg and brushed it slightly.

"Louis," Ron said as he stared down at his nephew's little blonde head. "Why are you under the table?"

"Because," he said as he disappeared back underneath. Apparently, to Louis, that was a suitable enough explanation. Ron leaned down and pulled back the tablecloth to reveal Louis, Teddy, and one other young boy, whom he didn't know, sitting there trading chocolate frog cards.

"Hi, guys," Ron said with an amused smile. "What's going on?"

"We're hiding," said Louis with a silly smile.

"From who?"

"Anyone who wants to take our picture," Teddy said as he and the boy next to him swapped cards and started to examine their new acquisitions. "Or from anyone who wants to dance." He rolled his eyes dramatically.

"Dancing can be fun," Ron said. "You should give it shot."

"Then why aren't you doing it?" Teddy asked.

"Touché," he said as he dropped the tablecloth back down, hiding the boys underneath once more. He really wasn't in much of a mood to dance; seeing as there was really only one other option he deemed appropriate, he made notice of Dean and Seamus chatting and drinking with a crowd of familiar face at the back of the room and decided to make his way over there. What better time than now than to catch up with old friends?

"You're joking!?" Ron said an hour later as he laughed with Seamus, Dean, Neville, George, Katie Bell, and Angelina Johnson while they worked on yet another round of drinks. "You actually said that?"

"Of course I actually said that," Seamus said, throwing his arms up in the air. "Why wouldn't I have told him that?"

"It just sounds made up," Dean said before Ron could say it himself. The whole group of them began laughing.

"Look at this crowd," Ginny said happily as she approached them. "Have you all been sitting here off in the corner drinking all night?"

"Where else would we be?" Seamus asked.

She grinned. "I don't know why I ask. I take it this is where Harry's been when I can't find him?"

"People keep dragging him off," Ron said with a wave of his hand.

"That's the problem with it being your wedding," she said as a woman approached her from the side. "Everyone has something they need you for."

"Ginny? Can I steal you for a moment?" asked the woman.

"Absolutely," she said with a weary smile. "Ron, we'll be cutting the cake soon, so you'll be making your toast then. Just so you know."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," he said before he glanced around the group. "Hey, Dean, where'd your girlfriend go?"

"Hannah and she went out to dance," said Neville. "Speaking of which, where'd your girl go?"

"Home sick," Ron said, raising his glass in mock salute, "or something. I don't know."

"Yeah, and she took my date with her," George mumbled as he swigged on a champagne bottle.

"Well, that's crap," Seamus said.

"Story of my life," Ron mumbled.

"Tell me about it," George said. "No more dancing for me."

"Why can't you dance?" Angelina asked as she observed George.

"Who am I going to dance with?" he asked. "All the good ones are taken!"

She glanced at Katie and rolled her eyes. "I suppose we're chopped liver, then?"

"Not chopped, per se…" he said with a shrug, which caused Angelina to promptly kick him in his shin.

"Ow! I was kidding," he said as he rubbed his leg. "A joke, get it?"

"Were you?" she said dryly. "For someone who makes his living in jokes, you think you'd be funnier."

George frowned, though the others laughed. Angelina smiled at him before she stood. "All right, then," she added. "Come on then, Weasley. Let's see what you've got."

"You expect me to dance when you've all but crippled my leg?" he asked, but she merely tugged on his arm and forced him to stand. He pretended to hobble as he followed her out towards the dance floor.

"And he was so looking forward to getting lucky," Ron mumbled as he shook his head.

"He still might," Katie suggested. "You never know."

"With Angelina?" He laughed doubtfully. "Right. That will be the day."

"I think they have a lot more in common than you think," Katie said. "Or at least I think so."

"Ah, well," Seamus said as he patted Ron on the leg, "there's still hope for the both of you, mate. Just look around!"

"Here?" Ron asked in a skeptical tone. "They're either related to me, too old, too young, with someone else, or a troll."

Dean laughed. "That's pretty harsh."

"The truth hurts," Ron said with a shrug as he swigged his drink. He was suddenly feeling very honest, though he was fairly sure that was alcohol induced.

"You're leaving soon anyway, Ron," Neville said. "No need to deal with unnecessary attachments."

"Yeah," Seamus said. "Plus, Paris is full of beautiful women."

"This is true," Ron said.

"You get to start a whole new life," he added in an envious tone. "Be a whole new guy and do different things. I'm jealous."

Ron smiled. "It is pretty cool if you put it that way."

"Lucky bastard," he said. "When do you leave?"

"Not soon enough," Ron mumbled just as Hannah and Dean's girlfriend reappeared.

"You boys look like you're having a bit too much fun," Hannah said.

"No such thing," Ron said as he stood up and stretched, "but I have to make a toast and I can't think straight with all of you sitting around me. I'm going to go and think it over before I actually have to say it." He paused. "Perhaps, I should have done that before I started drinking?"

"Good luck," several of them said as Ron made his way over to a nearby vacant table and plopped into an empty chair. He reached into the pocket of his robes and pulled out a piece of parchment that he had scribbled some notes onto. He began trying to read it over and over as he sat there attempting to make sure he had everything he wanted to say ready to go. How does one put a lifetime's worth of memories into a few minute toast?

"There you are," said the familiar voice that he immediately recognized as being Hermione's. "What are you reading?"

"Oh," he said as he snapped out of his self imposed daze, "my toast."

"You're actually practicing?" she asked as she sat down next to him and laughed. Several piece of her hair fell down around her face.

"I want to get it right," he said. "This is important stuff."

"I know it is," she said, glancing around the room. "I actually haven't prepared anything to say for mine yet, either."

"You haven't?" he asked in a tone of surprise. "I would have thought you'd have highlighted notes by now."

She grinned. "Not today. I'm going for a more 'off the top of my head, and from the heart' sort of thing."

He nodded his head with a sense of approval. His thoughts were suddenly distant and fuzzy as he found himself staring at her. "So, are you having a good time?"

"Yeah," she said brightly. "I've been dancing a lot, which has been fun. Martin's not much of a dancer, so we don't do that very often, you know."

"That doesn't surprise me," he mumbled before turning back to his notes.

"Hey, hey, weapons down," she said in mock defense. "Trust me, I don't need to hear more reasons why he and I shouldn't be together." She smiled. "You've made you points quite clear."

"You make it sound like it's all I talk about," he said as his mood grew annoyed again the more he thought about her and Martin. "I'm just looking out for you."

"I know you are," she said as she watched him silently read the paper in his hands. "I heard Lydia went home. Is she all right?"

He shrugged. "I think she had too much to drink last night. It apparently carried over into today."

"Oh," she said. "Well, she's young, she'll learn—"

"Yeah, I get it. You think she's young," he said in a cold tone without looking up at her. He wasn't sure why he suddenly found himself so annoyed with her.

Hermione frowned. "What's gotten into you?"

"Nothing," he lied. "I'm great."

"Whatever you say," she muttered before she quickly stood up.

"Where are you going?" he asked, setting his paper down.

"Why do you care?" she asked. "You seem pretty content to sit over here and brood on your own. I'd hate to interrupt."

Ron rubbed his face out of frustration. "I don't mean to be a git. It's just been a long night and I've been drinking. I'm in a crappy mood."

"Because Lydia went home?"

He looked at her. That wasn't the reason, but he didn't feel like telling her that the real reason was because she'd put a false sense of hope into his mind yesterday night, then taken it back, stomped all over it, and expected him to pretend like nothing had ever happened. "Something like that," he said before he looked away. "Anyway, sorry."

She stared at him. "I'm going to go and work on my toast."

"You can do it here," he said, attempting to sound pleasant.

"It's quieter outside." She turned to leave.

He glanced at the parchment in his hand before looking over at the exit of the tent. "You know, we should actually collaborate so we're not saying the same stuff."

"If you're in a pissy mood, Ron—"

"I'm fine," he said, realizing how dumb it was for him to annoyed with her for something she obviously didn't realize she'd done. "You know, I could use the help."

She seemed to consider this as she studied him for a moment. "Fine, but you just can't talk while I'm trying to think."

"Hermione," he said as he stood up. "Where we would be as friends if I hadn't made it my job to disturb you while you were thinking?"

"Probably both a bit saner," she said as she led the way outside. Ron followed after her, and watched as she immediately went and sat on a nearby rock wall. Ron distanced himself across the way from her, and instead made himself lean against a large tree. They both sat in silence for several minutes as he continued to read over his paper and mouth his toast to himself, while Hermione focused on the ground.

"How long is yours?" he asked.

"Maybe two minutes."

"That's it? Mine's too long, then."

"How long is it?"

"About four minutes."

"That is too long. Just focus on the highlights."

"We've had a lot of highlights in our lives," he said, running his hand through his hair. "It's hard to just pick a few."

"True," she said, "but focus on the friendship and familiar aspects."

"I hate making speeches," he mumbled. "As if anyone in there cares."

"Harry and Ginny do," she said. "I do."

"Everyone's probably half pissed anyway," he said as he made his way over to the wall Hermione was sitting on. "I am."

"I could tell," she said shortly before returning to her thoughts. Ron plopped himself down several feet away from her on the wall and proceeded to stare up at the night sky. It was an especially clear night. There were only so many stars in the sky, and no moon to be seen. In fact, the only thing that made anything visible outside was the glow of light from inside the tent that was spilling out in various patches.

His mind drifted back to the toast he was supposed to making in a few minutes time and what he should really say about his friend marrying his sister. What does one say about their best friend? He started to think about he and Harry as kids. Their childhood and friendship had been anything but ordinary, but conveying that to everyone in that tent without sounding corny wasn't something he could work out. He glanced at Hermione and saw her face screw up ever so slightly, just as it always did when she was deep in thought. Something told him she'd be able to do it eloquently and easily.

He couldn't help but suddenly be reminded of the three of them battling trolls in the Hogwarts's bathroom and how that had been the instance they had all really become friends. To any normal person, that story was worth telling as an ice breaker. To them, however, it was barely worth the words compared to the adventures that they'd been through. Flashes of memories started swirling through his head: He and Harry in the Chamber of Secrets; he, Hermione, and Harry in the Shrieking Shack; the three of them starting Dumbledore's Army; trips to Hogemeade; Dumbledore's funeral; camping in the woods for weeks; sneaking into the Slytherin common room; making up causes of death in Divination; watching Hermione slap Draco Malfoy; fighting with Hermione over Scabbers, over Harry's Firebolt, over Victor Krum, over Lavender Brown, over so many stupid things...He grinned as he remembered how stupid he was as kid, and how thinly veiled his fights with Hermione were at masking his actual feelings for her. How annoyed he'd get with her just like he was doing now. He laughed out loud.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing," he said, sitting up straight. "I was just thinking about some of the things we did as kids."

"Oh?"

"We were pretty busy."

Hermione gave a half smile. "You think?"

He laughed. "I was an idiot."

"I know," she said, nodding her head in agreement.

"I've gotten better," he said in an optimistic sort of way. "Or I like to think I have."

"I don't think we would have dated for so long if you hadn't," she said as she stared up at the sky. "You did a lot of growing up. We both did."

"You were already ages ahead of me. You always were."

"I had my areas I had to work on," she said distantly. "I still do. We all do."

"Not me," joked Ron. "I'm pretty perfect these days."

Hermione shot him a sarcastic look, which made him laugh.

"You can pretend you don't like it, but you know you secretly love my sense of humor," he said matter-of-factly. "Bad jokes and all."

"It's a bit much sometimes," she said as she smiled slowly, "but for the most part, you've always been the one person who can always make me laugh." She made a face. "And make me cry, but that's a whole different story."

"I'm doing my best to avoid the crying thing from now on," he said. "It's something new I'm trying."

She grinned. "I appreciate that."

They were both silent for a moment as a couple appeared from the tent, hand and hand and giggling. They caught sight of Hermione and Ron and giggled louder before walking off hastily in a search for somewhere more private.

"They look like they're having fun," Ron said.

"Or will be soon enough," Hermione added as she stood and adjusted her dress to keep it from wrinkling too much. Ron couldn't help but watch her. She really did look very elegant and put together.

"You look really pretty by the way," he said, trying to sound casual. "Not that you don't always, but you know what I mean."

"Thanks," she said with a smile that suddenly made Ron's stomach lurch in an oddly familiar, yet uncharacteristic way. His palms started to get sweaty the longer he looked at her.

"You know," she continued, "I didn't really get the chance to say this yesterday, because of how worked up I felt, but," she smiled at him, "I'm really going to miss you when you leave for Paris."

"Are you?" he asked as he watched her carefully.

"Of course I am," she said as she returned to sit down next to him again. "I mean, you just got back and now you're turning around a leaving." She frowned. "I just thought you were back for good."

"I'm only going to Paris," he said. "You can visit whenever. I'd love if you visited."

"It's not the same," she said.

"It's not?"

"I just," she shook her head, "I know we sort of butted heads last night, but I appreciate the advice you give me. You may tell me in the most backwards and annoying way possible, but you're mostly right."

He smiled. "I'll take that as a compliment."

"You're my best friend," she said. "You and I have something Harry and I won't ever have, nor Ginny, nor anyone. A strange and complicated history marked with so many twists and turns it'll make your head spin."

"There's that word again," he said.

Hermione looked at him questioningly.

"Complicated," he added.

"I think we invented complicated."

"I'll drink to that," he mumbled before smiling at her. "But complicated isn't always bad, you know. Some of what I think are our best memories come out of it."

"Some of our worst, too."

He stared at the ground. His thoughts drifted back to what she had said the night before about wishing things had never changed between them. Why couldn't he drop this? She had said she hadn't meant what she had said, but he didn't want to believe that. Something was telling him not to believe that. Something was telling him to just say the hell with it and say something. What did he have to lose?

"They're probably about to cut the cake," she said suddenly. "We should probably go back inside."

Ron rubbed his face as Hermione stood and smoothed out her dress once again. He watched as the light from the tent caught her in the most incandescent way as she pushed a piece a hair behind her ear and turned towards him. She smiled awkwardly when she noticed his gaze.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

He nodded slowly as a strange sense of calm came over him. "You just…you deserve someone a lot better than Martin."

Her smile slowly began to fade. "Do I?"

He stood. "You know you do. You're way too clever for him. Way too ambitious, too classy, too caring…"

She laughed awkwardly. "You don't even know him, Ron."

"I know you, though," he said seriously. "This is all obvious from what you've told me. You're too good for him. Too beautiful, too wonderful, too amazing—"

She forced an awkward smile and looked away from him. "You know, Ron, you better watch it or else I'm going to think you've got an ulterior motive here." She laughed nervously.

He continued to stare at her. "What if I do?"

She stopped smiling and looked at him. "What if you do what?"

"You know what I meant," he said as she continued to stare at him. She looked as if she was scanning his face for any indication of whether or not he was being serious.

"Ron, I..." she stammered anxiously. "What?"

"What would you say if I told you I still had feelings for you?"

"You're drunk."

He smiled. "I actually feel pretty clear headed."

"We can't."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm still with Mar—" she began before her voice caught in her throat and she looked down. She didn't sound entirely convinced.

"You said it yourself that you wished things could be like they used to be," he said as he watched her in the midst of her internal struggle. "Ever since you said that, I've been thinking about—" He stopped. "You made me realize that I wish things could be like they used to be. Back when things were good."

"We've changed."

"That can be a good thing."

"How do you figure?"

"Because we both made some mistakes the first time around and I've learned from mine," he said as he watched her eyes start to well with tears. "The feelings are still there. You can't tell me you don't feel…" He hesitated. "Don't you?"

"Ron…" she said in a tone just barely above a whisper. She seemed completely confused about what was happening. "We can't…"

He took a step away from her and nodded. She watched him tentatively as he spoke. "Then tell me you feel nothing."

She stared at him.

"Tell me that you didn't think about me while we were standing up next to Harry and Ginny listening to that bloke talk about a love that transcends circumstance and all of that."

She continued to stare him.

"Just say the word and I'll never bring it up again," he said, his calm demeanor cracking for the first time to show a little vulnerability in his face. "I'll never bother you with this again. I swear."

"I…" she began before she took a few steps backwards, unable to continue looking at him. "You're moving to Paris and what good would it do—"

"Ask me to stay."

Her eyes shot to his as a tear plopped down her cheek.

"Ask me to stay," he repeated as he stood there. "Ask me not to go."

"I can't do that."

"Why not?"

"Because I can't," she stammered. "And you already got your transfer. You have to go. They'll make you to go. It's Ministry protocol and—"

"Then ask me to come back," he said. "I'd only have to go for a few months, and then I could…" He sighed and looked her in the eyes. "Ask me to come back."

She stared at him, her mouth partly open. "I can't ask you to do that."

"I just told you that you could."

"You'd come back just because I asked you to?" she asked as another tear fell down her cheek.

"I'd do a lot of things just because you asked me to," he said, staring into her eyes. "You haven't figured that out yet?"

Hermione turned back towards the tent just as someone inside announced they were soon going to cut the cake. Ron stared at the back of her wondering what she was possibly thinking. He'd put it all out there and now it was up to her.

"We need to go back inside," she said, stepping quickly forward and going straight back into the tent; leaving Ron standing on his own.


	18. Cheers

Hermione darted across the room to the other side of the tent towards the exit. She needed to be on her own. She needed time to think.

What on earth was Ron thinking?! He had to be drunk. He had to be! He couldn't have meant all of that. He'd moved on. She was sure of it! She shook her head as she walked and ignored all of the happy smiling faces that were surrounding her. Given the nature of that conversation that they had just had, he apparently hadn't moved on. Or rather, he'd moved back. She didn't even think it was possible for the two of them to move backwards. Things weren't supposed to happen like this. They were supposed to be easy now.

He'd been back in her life for two weeks and already things were being turned upside down. Things were bad with Martin, and Ron swoops in to tell her he still has feelings for her? She couldn't make this up if she tried! It was as if someone was playing some sort of joke on her and screwing with her feelings like it was a hilarious game. This wasn't the plan…or was this always the plan and she'd just deviated from the course in the first place? She didn't know what to think. She didn't know what to say, or to do, or even how to look Ron in the eyes now. Why on earth did he have to say that to her?

"Hermione," said Mrs. Weasley as she passed her. "Are you all right?"

"Fine, yes, thanks," she said, avoiding her eyes and continuing to walk several steps away. She reached out and grabbed a cocktail napkin on a nearby table and dabbed her eyes before blinking to regain her composure. She looked up to see several people she didn't know and Molly Weasley all watching her. Everyone but Molly turned away when she looked at them.

"We were just looking for you," Molly said calmly as she took a few steps towards her. "They're about to cut the cake and—"

"Oh, right, of course." She stood up straighter and pretended to pull herself together. "The cake. And my toast, I have to make a toast."

Molly smiled sadly. "Is this about that boy you're seeing? Because of that row you got into and because he didn't come?"

Hermione turned towards her, slightly surprised by Molly of all people bringing up Martin.

"I understand," she said. "I'm probably the last person you'd want to talk about that with what with Ron and all." She smiled. "Just know that just because you and my son aren't together anymore, I haven't stopped thinking very fondly of, dear. You and Harry have always been like surrogate children to me."

Hermione stared at her. She felt her eyes get teary again.

"Come now," she said as she started ushering Hermione towards the side of the tent where everyone was gathering around the wedding cake. "Let's put all of that negativity behind us for now. This isn't a day for sadness. Know that you're surrounded by people who care about you and want the best for you, even if this particular boy…Martin is it? Even if he doesn't understand that."

"How did you know about…?"

"The walls at the Burrow are much thinner than people think," she said. "I've heard you mention it to Ginny. Honestly, it's none of my business, but any boy who thinks that you're just going to settle…" She trailed off as she noticed several people waving them over towards the cake. "Well, I know you'll do what's right for you in the end. You always have."

Hermione stopped where she stood as Molly took several steps ahead of her and began beaming as she approached the crowd of onlookers who were gathered around Harry and Ginny and their cake. Everyone was watching enthusiastically as Harry and Ginny both simultaneously cut the cake and then proceeded to share their first piece together. A small cheer and a round of applause rung through the tent as the band kicked back up again quickly. Hermione watched as Harry kissed Ginny, icing on his face and all, and they both laughed. They looked so happy.

"Hey," said Charlie as he stepped up next to Hermione. "You haven't see Ron have you? I was sent to find him so that he could make his toast."

"He was outside last I saw him," she said as she felt her heartbeat begin to accelerate at just the mention of Ron's name.

"I'll go check," he said as he started heading towards where she had indicated. "If we can't find him, I guess you'll go first, then."

"My toast," she said absently, realizing that she really did have to make one in front of all these people, looking and feeling as she did right now. She'd forgotten everything she'd wanted to say and, for the life of her, could not gather her thoughts properly. All she could think about was what Ron had said and how he had looked standing there.

"Hey," Harry said suddenly, his voice sounding distant. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," she said, forcing a large smile.

"Okay, then." He looked as if he didn't want to question her. "I'm going to go and have a seat and let Ron and you do your thing."

"Our thing?" she asked quickly.

"Your toasts?"

"Oh, of course," she said, sounding flustered. "Obviously."

"You sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine, Harry," she said as she glanced over and saw Ron entering the tent with Charlie. She looked at Harry, who smiled at her before he turned and went to take a seat near Ginny. Everyone in the room was standing around as if waiting for something to happen. People's eyes all started to focus on the center of the dance floor where Hermione was now standing. She took a few steps back and cleared the way for Ron, who had caught her eye briefly before quickly looking away. He stepped out into the center of the dance floor and faced the room, his face stony.

"Okay," said the band leader as he put his wand to his throat in order to command the attention of the room. "Ladies and Gentlemen, if I could have your attention! We've got a very special toast for the bride and groom courtesy of their best man and their maid of honor."

The room gave a mild round of applause as Hermione watched Ron shift his weight anxiously as he stood facing away from her and towards the crowd. The band leader whispered something to Ron, who whispered something back before the band leader raised his wand to his throat once more.

"Ron Weasley, everyone!"

People clapped once more, some louder than others. George, Dean, Seamus, and Neville all began cheering loudly from the back of the room. George, in particular, let out a sharp and loud whistle, which made Ron smile.

"Hi everyone," he began as he glanced down at the sheet of parchment in his hands for a long moment. "I'm not really one for making speeches, which anyone who knows me can attest to."

"Woooo! I love you, Ron!" shouted George as several people laughed, including Harry and Ginny. Molly Weasley turned and gave George a very sharp look.

Ron looked up and crumbled the piece of paper in his hand before letting it fall to the floor. He let his wand rest causally against his neck. "Harry and I have been through a lot, as I'm sure more of you have heard." He took a deep breath. "A lot of the stuff made the history books, the newspapers, the chocolate frog cards…"

Several people laughed.

"But the most important stuff is the stuff you'd never know about unless you knew Harry like I do. Unless you'd been friends with him the way I have. Some of my best memories aren't of fighting Death Eaters or helping him save the world, but rather just of Harry being my friend. Of him sorting me out when I've done something," he chuckled, "or said something stupid. They're of him laughing at my bad jokes when other people didn't, or us having a laugh in the common room at Gryffindor tower, or on the Quidditch pitch, or even while we were fighting Death Eaters."

The room laughed.

"Harry and I…" He hesitated. He looked directly behind him at Hermione before turning back. "And Hermione have been the best of friends since were kids. It's something that just continues to get better and stronger as time goes on, and something that I'm so fortunate to have found. We've had our ups and down, but we only grow from everything that happens. I can't tell you how happy I am to watch the best guy I know, and the greatest friend anyone could ever ask for, marry my little sister." He raised his glass. "So, to Ginny, my frequently annoying, equally as wonderful, wouldn't trade her for the world sister…"

Ginny laughed.

"And to Harry," he continued. "To my best mate and my new brother. Cheers."

"Cheers!" the crowd yelled as every took a sip from their drinks. Applause rang through room as Harry stood up and hugged Ron. Ginny followed as several people stood and patted Ron affectionately on the back.

"What's your name, love?" asked the band leader once Hermione turned to see him next to her. She had been so caught up in watching Ron and listening to his toast, that she had almost forgotten what she next had to do.

"Sorry?"

"I need your name," he said. "You're the maid of honor, aren't you?"

"Oh, yes." She nodded as he gestured out towards the center of the dance floor for her to take her spot. "It's Hermione Granger."

He winked at her as he took a few steps out in front and placed his wand to his throat just as he had done before. "Lovely, just lovely! Now before we get back to the dancing and music, we've got one more toast here," he gestured to Hermione, "from Ginny's maid of honor, Hermione Granger."

People applauded once more as Hermione clearly heard the loud, sharp whistle courtesy of George Weasley once again. There were so many faces in the crowd watching her as she stood in front of them all. Harry and Ginny were sitting just off to the side, both smiling at her as she raised her wand towards her throat. She did a quick sweeping scan of the room and saw Ron standing towards the back on his own. His arms were crossed and he was watching her just as everyone else was.

"That's going to be a tough toast to follow," she said nervously as the room hummed appreciatively. "Well, I've had the pleasure of being close with both Harry and Ginny since we were younger. Harry was one of the first people to befriend me during my first year of school, and Ginny and I grew to be friends through the simple fact that we were always the odd girls out in the household full of Weasley boys."

The room laughed.

"Ron's already said all the wonderful things I could say about Harry and how important his friendship has been to me over the years. He's defended me and helped me, and without him, I really don't know where I'd be today." She smiled. "Although, I like to think I've helped him a little along the way as well."

Harry smiled and nodded.

"And Ginny," she said as she smiled at her. "You've always been there to listen to me when I needed to vent. You've always been the female escape for me that I sometimes so desperately needed when I made the decision that I should go around spending most of my time with two stubborn boys."

It was her playfully inflection on the last line that made the entire room laugh loudly. She even caught Ron crack a small smile.

"We became friends almost on accident and because of circumstance, but we became as close as we are now because of how caring you are, and because of how passionate we both are for the things we care about."

Ginny smiled.

"I remember watching Ginny during her first year at school develop a crush on an unaware Harry. I remember during her third year, the hopelessness that she felt because she was convinced that things would never work out and that he'd never notice her. I remember her being determined to move on and let her crush on Harry be a thing of the past, Then I remember seeing the tables flip, and in turn watching Harry—although I don't think he realized that I knew—as he started to fall for Ginny. I remember realizing that you two were perfect for each other, even before the two of you fully knew." She smiled. "And I'm happy to stand here before you at your wedding and see that realization met."

Several people "awwed" and made noises of agreement. Someone somewhere shouted, "Hear, hear!"

"So, to both Harry and Ginny," she raised her glass, "I love you both and…" She hesitated finishing. Her mind suddenly clouded as she thought about what she had just said about two people being perfect for each other even though they may not have known it. Or in her case, they both did know, only one was choosing to fight it simply for the sake of fighting it.

"And…" she stammered as the room watched her, glasses in hand as if waiting for her to signal she had finished. She turned and looked for Ron among them. She found him watching her with the same confused expression that so many other people currently had on their faces. Her breathing became heavier as she continued to stare at him. Several people, Harry and Ginny included, turned to look in the direction she was staring.

"And..." she said as she barely found her voice. "Ron, I'm asking you to come back."

Half the room stared questionably from Hermione to Ron, and some people began whispering and asking what was happening. Harry looked just as confused as most of the people whispering, but Ginny oddly looked as if he understood quite clearly. Harry stood and turned his gaze away from Hermione and onto Ron as if silently asking what was going on.

"Cheers," Hermione added as she dropped her wand from her neck and headed straight for the exit. She could hear several people mumble, "cheers" in return, but she didn't stop to see what came next. She just continued walking straight out into the evening.

* * *

Harry stared at Ron from the across the room, wondering what had just happened. He turned and noticed Hermione had gone and Ginny was now staring at him.

"What was that?" he asked as the leader of the band quickly turned and commanded his band's attention. They began playing a fast paced song that encouraged people to get up and dance. Many people did, having already disregarded what had just happened to continue on with their celebrating.

"My, weren't those some wonderful toasts?" Luna said as she appeared next to Ginny. "Very eloquent. I should like to tell Hermione that I particularly enjoyed hers, even though it seems a wracksprut got a hold of her at the end. There are several floating around in here tonight."

Ginny stared at her. "You were right. About Hermione and Ron. How do you do that?"

"I'll be right back," Harry said as he rubbed Ginny's shoulder and began making his way across the room. A group of wizards and witches toasted him as he passed, clearly well on their way to being completely smashed, but he ignored them. It was Ron he was looking for, and he spotted him now sitting at a back table with George, Angelina, and Seamus.

"Hey, Harry!" Seamus slurred. "Good to see you. Fantastic party!"

"Thanks," he said as he stared at Ron. "Can we talk?"

Ron sighed and looked as if he already knew what Harry was going to say. "I have no idea where that came from."

"I think you know more than you're letting on."

"So, do you and Hermione have something going on again?" George asked as Ron started rubbing his eyes.

"I don't know," he muttered.

"When did the two of you even—"

"I don't know, George."

"If you are, does that mean you're still moving to Paris for good?"

"I don't know, George!" Ron snapped as he stood up and started pacing.

"Jeez," George mumbled as he and Angelina exchanged looks. "You'd think he'd be in a better mood, considering."

Harry watched Ron as he paced back in forth, clearly preoccupied in his own thoughts. Something had happened between him and Hermione. What it was or whether it was good or bad wasn't something Harry could immediately tell. He sighed and tapped Ron's shoulder, gesturing towards a corner of the tent where no one was standing. It had almost been too long since he had found himself in the middle of one of Hermione and Ron's issues. Why not pick his wedding night to start again?

"I don't—" Ron began.

"Just tell me what happened?"

He made a face. "I may have told her I still have feelings for her."

"You may have or you did?"

He hesitated. He didn't need to say anything. Harry could read it all over his face.

"Oh, you're joking…" Harry muttered. "Tonight of all nights?"

"It's a wedding," he said as he gestured around. "Your wedding! People starting thinking about their feelings and I'm no better than all of that." He looked Harry in the eyes and sighed. "I'm not over her. I thought I was, but I'm not."

Harry stared at him wearily. "Of course you're not…"

"The moment was there and I took it," he said defensively.

"And you told her all of this?"

"Something like it," he said. "I told her that if she wanted me to stay in England, that she just needed to say something, but she didn't." He suddenly looked a little embarrassed. "Well, she didn't until just now."

"You do remember you're stuck going to Paris for at least six months now?" Harry said. "Ministry transfer protocol ringing any bells?"

"No, I know," he said as his face fell. "She knows. She even brought it up."

"So, what are you going to do?"

Ron shrugged. He looked towards the exit that Hermione had disappeared through. Harry followed his gaze and noticed everyone around him enjoying his party. He saw Ginny now talking with George across the room; her face serious. A moment later, she had started walking towards them with a determined look in her eye that Harry knew all too well.

"You're moving to Paris?" she asked as she stopped directly in front of her brother. "For how long?"

"Apparently, at least six months," Ron said, though looking as if he didn't want to talk about this.

"You were planning on moving and you didn't tell anyone?"

"I told some people."

Ginny looked annoyed as she turned to Harry. "Did you know?"

"I told him not to tell you until after the wedding," Ron interjected. "I didn't want you getting worked up."

"Oh, fantastic," she said sarcastically. "Apparently, we're all keeping secrets now. You're moving, and apparently you and Hermione have something going on again—"

"I knew nothing about that," Harry added as he looked at Ron. "That's news to me, too."

"Well, given her sudden declaration up there, it's news to me, too," Ron snapped, his face growing redder and his temper beginning to rise. He clenched his fists and suddenly turned and walked through the crowd and out of sight. Harry and Ginny exchanged looks.

"I just found out about Paris yesterday," he mumbled.

She sighed heavily. "Is he going?"

"He has to for at least six months," he said. "It's procedure."

"I had a feeling something like this was going to happen," she said as she shook her head. "Luna mentioned something, but I didn't really think…I mean, I know she and Martin were all but done, but I didn't think she and Ron would run straight back at each other."

Harry gave her a look that seemed to speak a hundred confusing and exhausted thoughts at once. She nodded slowly in agreement.

"I give up trying to figure them out," she said.

"That makes two of us." He shook his head. "Every time I try, I end up more confused than I was before."

"Oh, Ginny!" said Fleur as she pushed her way through the crowd towards her. "'ere you are! It iz time!"

"Time for?"

"To throw your bouquet!"

"Oh," she said as she looked back at Harry. "Right, we got married today, didn't we?"

"Is that why I'm in my dress robes?" he joked.

Fleur watched them both strangely. "You two 'ave very strange senses of 'umors." She grabbed at Ginny's arm before leading them both back towards the dance floor. Ginny was dragged Ginny off towards the center, as Harry took a seat next to a giggly looking Teddy and Victoire. Both of them were helping themselves to another piece of wedding cake. It appeared that most of Teddy's first piece seemed to be collecting on the front of his dress robes.

"Having fun?" Harry asked him. He was thankful for the distraction from everything else that had just happened.

"Loads," he said with his mouthful. Victoire made a disgusted face as she caught a glimpse of the chewed cake in his mouth. "Look what I can do!"

He watched as Teddy's nose suddenly began to balloon in size to the point where it was almost half of his entire face. He was holding his breath as he did it though, and he began turning purple until he finally exhaled.

"Wow," said Harry, unsure of what else to really say. "That's impressive, Teddy."

"I did it on my own, too," he said proudly. He looked at Victoire, who was smiling at him excitedly. "I actually thought about changing it and I did it!"

"You're getting a better handle on your morphing, then," Harry said as he patted him proudly. "That's a step in the right direction, Teddy. Soon enough, you'll be able to do it without getting blue in the face."

Teddy looked at Victoire. "You didn't tell me my face changed color, too."

"I meant without having to hold your breath," Harry added as the leader of the band called out for all single ladies to make their way to the dance floor.

"What's going on?" Victoire asked as she stood on her chair to get a better look.

"Your aunt's throwing her bouquet," Harry explained. "The girl who catches it is supposed to be the next person to get married."

"Really?"

"Not necessarily. It's more for a laugh than anything," he added. "It's not as if the woman who catches will actually get married next."

"They may," said a nearby elderly woman who Harry didn't know. "If someone's put a particularly powerful Commitment Charm on the bouquet. They don't do that much these days, but, back when I was a young lady, it was fairly common practice. I caught my friend's once and was married two months later, in fact."

"That's nice?" Harry said, feeling a bit confused as to what he should say to that. "Right."

"I want to try and catch it," Victoire said as she hopped off her chair.

"Aren't you a bit young to be thinking about getting married?" Harry asked.

She considered this. "I'll be six this year."

Harry laughed. "You think you'll be ready at six?"

She shrugged and pointed at Teddy. "I'll marry Teddy."

"You won't," he said as he shook his head vehemently. "I'm not getting married. Ever."

She made a face. "Why not?"

"Because when you get married, you have to kiss and hug and be in love. I don't want to do that," he said as he took another bite of cake. "It's gross."

Harry laughed as Victoire looked over to where the other women were lining up behind Ginny. She turned back to Teddy. "If I catch it, you'll have to marry me."

"No, I don't."

"Yes, you do."

"No, I don't."

"Yes, you do!"

"Harry, tell her I don't!"

Harry looked from one kid to the other. He knew Victoire just wanted to seem older and more grown up with all her talks of having dates and getting married circulating around her, but poor Teddy wasn't even humoring her. She obviously had a little crush on him. It was rather cute when Harry really thought about it.

"Marriage is a really long time, Vicki," he said. "Forever, in fact."

She stared at him, her eyes sad.

"Tell you what," Harry said as he glanced between the two of them, "let's compromise. If you catch the bouquet, Teddy doesn't have to marry you—"

Teddy grinned happily.

"But maybe he can dance with you."

"What!?" said Teddy as his grin instantly disappeared.

"Really?" she asked with a small smile.

"Will you do me that favor?" Harry asked Teddy.

"Do I have to?"

"It'd be very nice if you did. But only if she comes up with the bouquet," he added as he gestured towards the group of woman on the dance floor. "And it looks like Ginny's about to throw it."

Victoire turned and quickly rushed out to the dance floor to join the others. Ted looked up at Harry as if he'd just been stabbed in the back.

"Marriage is forever," Harry said. "A dance is about three minutes. Choose your battles, Teddy."

"But I don't want to do either."

Harry smiled. "She's awfully tiny out there next to all those ladies. Do you really think she's going to be able to catch it before they do?"

"Probably not," he said slowly. Suddenly, as if it dawned on him as to what Harry was getting at, a small grin crossed his face. "Wait, we tricked her!"

"Not quite," he said. "If she does come up with it, you really should dance with her. It's only right. She is your friend, isn't she?"

"Yeah."

"And sometimes, it's nice to do little things like this for our friends if it means a lot to them and makes them happy," he added. "That's what friendship is all about."

"I guess so," he said solemnly as they both watched Ginny toss her bouquet behind her. The women all scrambled for it as it disappeared into the pile; becoming unseen to all the onlookers. Seconds later, a round faced woman emerged holding it triumphantly in her hand. Everyone applauded.

"There you go," Harry said as he gave Ted a reassuring pat on the shoulder, "nothing to worry about."

He smiled as Victoire emerged from the group, the bow in her hair now tilted to the side. It was she who was now solemn looking.

"I didn't get it," she said.

"Nice effort, Vicki," said Charlie as he stopped by the table. "Even though you've got plenty of time before you even need to think about catching any other bouquets. Your father will see to that."

"Sorry you didn't get it," Teddy said as he watched Victoire plop her elbows down on the table miserably.

"You're not," she said. "You're happy because now you don't have to dance with me and that's all you wanted."

Teddy frowned. "I don't want you to be sad, though." He glanced up at Harry and took a large and over dramatic breath before he turned back to Victoire. "I'll dance with you if it'll make you happy."

A smile suddenly played at the corner of her lips. "Honestly?"

"One time," he mumbled begrudgingly.

"A slow song?"

"A fast song."

She considered this and seemed to realize that this was the best she was going to get. She smiled widely and nodded as she jumped up and pulled him towards the dance floor. He turned and gave Harry and helpless look, but Harry simply smiled at him.

"That was very sweet of him," Charlie said.

"Yeah." Harry smirked. "He's a nicer kid than I ever was."


	19. An Open Book

"Damn it," Ron said as he quickly jumped back, having just over poured pumpkin juice onto the kitchen counter. He hadn't been paying attention when the glass began overflowing until the dripping sound on the floor beneath him caught his attention. He reached into his pocket for his wand and pointed it at the mess. He mumbled, _"Scourgify_" and the liquid instantly disappeared from the floor and counter.

He took the glass over to the table in the kitchen and sat. His parents' house was eerily quiet, seeing as everyone was still at the wedding. It was a nice relief after what he had just left. His entire family, and most of his friends, had been just as surprised as he had upon hearing what Hermione had said during her toast. Most of them didn't understand what her words had actually meant, but it wasn't hard to tell given their past that it had something to do with their ever present and complicated relationship. That was the problem with having a history like they'd had. People were always suspicious. They always suspected something more was going on. Sure, in this case they were right, but that wasn't the point.

He'd felt a little guilty about leaving the wedding early, but at the same time—he didn't. He had been tired of the questions, tired of the looks, and far too preoccupied with his thoughts to enjoy the rest of his evening as if nothing had happened. Harry and Ginny would forgive him. If they didn't, they would have to be more annoyed with Hermione than they were with him. After all, she was the one who stormed out and said what she had said in the first place. _She left before I did_, he thought as he sipped his juice.

"Absolutely beautiful," his mother's voice said suddenly from outside, which made him glance towards the door. As the knob turned, he wondered if he was fast enough to make a mad dash for the stairs without being detected.

"It was better than I could have imagined," his father said as he pushed open the door, his hands full of various favors. Both he and his mother stopped and looked at Ron sitting in front of them.

"There you are," said his mother. "You left early."

"Didn't feel well."

She nodded. She didn't look as if she believed this excuse, but she was surprisingly unquestioning as she placed a small covered plate in front of him. "Your father thought we should bring you a piece of cake."

Ron watched them both and wondered when either one of them was going to start making a huge deal about what had happened. They instead just continued to stare at him.

"Thanks."

"I'm going to go and change," his mother said as she stared at him with a softness in her eyes. She turned towards her husband. "It's been quite the day."

"It certainly has," he said as he sat down across the table from Ron. "I'll be up in a minute."

"All right, dear." She cast one last look at Ron and smiled strangely at him before leaving up the stairs. The room became quiet as his father started absently investigating his fingernails. Ron looked down at the plate his mother had placed in front of him and pulled the cover off to reveal a large piece of cake. He contemplated eating it—more as something to do rather than because he wanted to—but he just didn't have the appetite for once.

"It was a good night," he father said suddenly. "A lot of fun."

"Yeah." Ron nodded as he covered the cake back up. "It was."

"And, of course, your sister looked beautiful."

"She did."

"And I suppose Harry officially being family is nice."

"Yeah." He grinned. "I guess it's about time, huh?"

His father chuckled. "That's true." He sighed and rapped his knuckles on the table. "I'm almost curious when I'll be able to say the same thing about Hermione."

Ron's eyes shot toward his father's as he said it, his face now vacant.

"I gather that whole scene earlier was something to do with you and Paris?"

He nodded slowly.

"Last I heard she had a boyfriend," he continued. "A bit strange that she would make such a public declaration to you if she was only wishing her friend wasn't leaving. I've always taken her as a girl who was more private with that sort of thing. Not keen on making big spectacles like that."

"She's not, really."

"I see," he mused. "That must have meant she really wanted to make sure you knew."

Ron looked down at the table.

Arthur stood up and scratched his head. "I've always liked Hermione, you know."

"So have I," he mumbled.

"I think we all know that," he said with a lazy smile. He suddenly turned and made his way out into the sitting room, leaving Ron alone to his thoughts. After a minute, he also stood, but he walked out of the house and into the back garden instead of into the sitting room. It was a little chilly, and he wasn't wearing a cloak, but he was too lazy to walk back inside to get one. The cool air felt nice as he walked over and sat himself down on the top of the picnic table in the center of the garden.

He looked up at the sky and found himself staring up at the same scattered amount of stars that he had been looking at just hours before. It seemed like there were more of them now. He leaned back and found himself lying on the table top as he absently started connecting the various stars with his finger and seeing what sort of things he could make out of them. It wasn't until one pattern he traced reminded him of an open book that he thought of Hermione again.

She wanted him to come back. That meant that she wanted him here. Did it mean she wanted him…? It might have, couldn't it? He frowned. He'd probably asked himself that a hundred times over the last hour or so, and he still didn't have any better answer now than he did the first time he thought about it.

She had run off so quickly, and had disappeared to who knows where, that he really didn't know what to think. He didn't know if he had come on too strong and scared her off, or if perhaps she had just needed some time to think. He had sort of sprung all of this on her quite suddenly, but it wasn't as if it was out of nowhere. Was it? He couldn't really remember as he started racking his brain over every one of their encounters for the last two weeks. They had been happy and friendly. They had enjoyed each other's company just as they had in the past. It had reminded him so much of their happier times that maybe he had just convinced himself she felt the same way about him? Maybe he'd made it all up?

He stomach started to hurt. Why had he said that to her? Things were going so well between them and then he went and screwed it all up by being an idiot. Obviously they could never be friends without these sorts of feelings resurfacing on his end at least. But what if she wasn't interested in being friends anymore? What if she now wondered how she could tell him off for good?

He sighed as he pulled his wand out of his pocket and started it pointing it absently up at the sky. No. She had asked him to come back. She had said that to him in front of a room full of people. A room full of witnesses! He wasn't making that up. Even his father suspected something. George and Harry and Ginny had picked up on something in Hermione's comment and they didn't even know the whole story. He knew he wasn't—

The door to the house suddenly opened and shut. He pulled himself into a sitting position, lowered his wand towards the source of the sound, and mumbled "_Lumos_" to see if someone was there or not. Just as he did, a light came shining right back into his face and blinded him. He squinted and lowered his wand.

"Are you drunk?"

He stared straight into the light as he realized the voice belonged to Hermione. "I told you I wasn't."

"Even if you were, you'd tell me you weren't," she said, still pointing her wand directly in his face.

"If I was," he said as he wished she would lower her wand so he could see again. "I've sobered up since and I still meant what I said."

Her light lowered. All he could see were blurry outlines and starbursts of light that were burned into his retinas. He blinked a few times in an attempt to see properly.

"You're an idiot," she finally said.

"I am?"

"You know, I sometimes can't tell whether I hate you or whether I'm madly in love with you and I just can't tell the two apart."

"Can I hope for the latter?" he asked.

"You can hope," she said as she sat down next to him. "I, however, am still undecided."

"If you hate me than why are you here?" he asked with a small smile.

She didn't say anything. Ron picked up his wand and pointed it towards her and saw that her eyes looked puffy from having been crying. Her hair was also now falling messily around her shoulders, but she still looked as pretty as he'd ever seen her. "Nice toast, by the way," he said.

She closed her eyes and smiled sheepishly. "You didn't think it was a tad bit over dramatic?"

"No, I thought it was just the right amount of over dramatic." He smiled. "The dash for the exit at the end may have put it over the top, though."

"I just had to get out of there," she said seriously. "All those eyes starting at me…"

"I left early, too," he said. "I just didn't feel like dealing with the questions."

She nodded.

"So…" he said as he leaned back on his arms and stared at her.

"You failed, you know?"

"I failed?"

"About that whole 'working on not making me cry' thing," she said. "Not even five minutes later, Ron..." She shook her head.

"I did say I'd stop doing that, didn't I?" he asked as he remembered. "Wow, I am an idiot."

"Well, you're not completely to blame," she said. "I did quite a bit more when I went to see Martin."

He stared at her.

"We decided to see other people," she said quietly before she looked at him. "It was a long time coming."

He couldn't hide his smile. "Sorry."

"You're not."

"Maybe I am a little, but you seeing other people is a good thing."

"Yeah, perhaps," she said with a nod of her head and slight smile. "It's not as if I have anyone else in mind, though."

"Nobody?" he asked as he decided to play along. "Not one person?"

She shook her head. "Well, maybe I have one person in mind, but there's a problem."

"What's that?" he asked, sitting up straight.

"He's moving," she said thoughtfully. "He has to leave for who knows how many months—"

"Six."

"Six?" she said, sounding surprised. "That long?"

"It's really not that bad."

"Well, anyway," she continued. "He's an idiot who has to leave for at least six months, and I still don't even know if that's it. He may not even be coming back." She turned and looked at him. "So, the question is, is he coming back?"

"Do you want him to?"

"I'd hope he'd already know the answer," she said, "especially since I declared in front of a room full of people."

"I think it's safe to say he's already thinking about getting transferred back."

She smiled. "So, Ron, do you know this guy? Because I don't think I've introduced you to him—"

He laughed. "Oh, and here I was being thick and thinking it was me." He lay back down on the table top. "Well, I'd love to meet him, then. I'm sure he's incredible. I bet he's probably really handsome and funny, too."

"He can be," she said distantly as she leaned back on her hands and stared up at the sky. "Sometimes he's all of those things…But let's not forget. He's an idiot."

"Obviously."

She smiled. "You must not have been too sold on Paris in the first place."

"I was and I wasn't," he said as he closed his eyes and laid there. "I mean, it's really no different than what happens here. Everyone just speaks French. I was only sold on going somewhere else because there was nothing in England worth staying for and I figured why the hell not." He paused. "Now there is."

It was quiet as they both sat there for a long moment. Ron cracked open his eyes and noticed Hermione was staring up at the sky, her right arm just out of reach of him. He picked up his hand and started running his fingers up and down her arm as she turned and smiled at him.

"You see those stars over there," he said, pointing into the sky.

"Which ones?"

"I don't know their names," he said. "You know I was always rubbish at Astronomy." He pointed again. "But the ones just there by that cloud."

She started searching the sky. "I see quite a few."

"Here," he said scooting over a little. "Lie down."

She gave him a suspicious smile.

"You'll be able to see it better," he said innocently, though she did as he instructed and found herself next to him. "Okay, now over there. That cluster of stars looks like an open book. That just reminded me of you."

He glanced at her as she cocked her head to the side in an attempt to decipher what he was talking about. "Yeah, I don't see it." She turned towards him. "And an open book?"

"I don't know." He laughed as he adjusted his arm so that her head was now resting between it and his chest. It was almost an instinctual gesture, something he had been so used to doing when Hermione was this close that he really didn't think about what he had done until after he'd done it. It was refreshingly familiar as she, too, seemed to be falling right back into old habits. She put her head there just as she had so many thousand times before. It felt as if she'd never left.

"That one over there looks like a really large, burley man," she said pointing up.

"And that reminds you of me, right?" he joked as he started running his fingers through her hair.

"If I disregard all the other really big blokes I know, sure," she teased, reaching up and grabbing at the arm he was using the play with her hair before pulling it down around her.

He closed his eyes again and they both became quiet once more. Even though this was probably the most uncomfortable surface he'd ever laid on in his entire life, he didn't want to move. He was far too comfortable with her lying with him. He could have fallen asleep if he tried hard enough, and he was almost convinced that Hermione might have too, until he felt her drumming her fingers on his arm.

"What's the matter?" he asked.

"I was just thinking about work," she said. "Martin and I work together."

"Oh."

"It might be the push I need," she said with a sigh. "I was thinking about transferring to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. I've grown so frustrated with the Magical Creatures division."

"Really?" He opened his eyes and looked down at her.

"It's just a thought I've been entertaining. The department head and I are friendly, and the thought of being forced to see Martin everyday may make me seriously consider it. He's not exactly a good sport."

"I think you should do it," he said as he closed his eyes again. "You'll be head of the Wizengamot in no time."

She laughed as she started running her fingers up and down his arm. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves."

"I'm not," he said. "I just know what you're capable of."

"And that's why I love you."

"So, you love me now?" He smirked. "Is that what you've decided on?"

"I have right now," she said. "Ask again tomorrow and the answer may be different." They both laughed as he shook his head and playfully pushed her away. She sat up straight and looked back at him. "How is it we can just fall back into this so easily?"

"Because it's me and you," he said as he stared at her. "And that's what we do. We fight, we make up, we fight, we make up, we fight, we make up, we—"

"I get it." She smiled. "I was going to say something more along the lines that we've learned to grow with each other."

"There's that, too."

"Is there anyway we can break the whole fight and make up habit and just stay like this from now on?"

He smiled. "I rather enjoy the make ups."

"I rather hate the fights."

He sat up. "I do to, but something tells me we'll always argue. Its part of what makes us, us. We're entirely too passionate and stubborn."

She grinned. "I can think of a few times where that passion wasn't such a bad thing."

"I can too," he said as he shared her smile. "But we just have to remember what's important. I don't want to lose this again. I'll actually talk to you when stuff is really bothering me and not just pretend it'll go away if I want it to. Open communication and all of that."

"I hope you mean that."

"I want to mean—" he began before she leaned over and kissed him midway through his sentence. It had been far too long since this had happened. The recognizable textures, feelings, and technique that made these instances between them so special immediately came flooding back to him. She fit here so perfectly. He couldn't understand why he'd ever let this go.

"We can do six months," she said as she pulled away and looked at him. "We can do six months easily. I mean, you're right, it's just a Portkey away."

"I know it."

"You know," she said with a nod. "This is a good thing. I mean, Martin and just split up, and with you away, it'll let me get my life back in order on my own. If I transfer departments, I'm bound to get really busy, so by the time you get back, things will have calmed down." She smiled. "We can ease back into things."

He smiled.

"It's actually exiting," she said.

"You're still going to come and visit though, right?" he asked. "Because six months suddenly gets a lot longer if I have to go the entire time without seeing you."

"I think I can catch a Portkey or two," she said. "I haven't been to Paris since I was a teenager."

"How about a Portkey or ten?"

She laughed and took his hand in hers. "We'll work something out."

"So, what are we, then?" he asked as he suddenly leaned back on the table on his free arm. "What are we telling people when they ask? Because you know they will."

"We could tell them to mind their own business," she suggested.

"My mother will hit me if I tell her that."

Hermione smiled. "Then let's just tell them it's complicated."


	20. The Surprise

**October 2004**

**Six Months Later **

Harry kicked his feet up onto the sofa in his living room as he began reviewing another case file on a lazy Saturday evening. After chasing a group of masochistic wizards across every corner of the country for the last month, this was a nice turn of events. Nothing in a case file ever put you in St. Mungo's overnight.

He checked his watch and had to wonder where everyone was. Ginny was supposed to be back from Holyhead hours ago, and it was already two hours past when Ron and Hermione said they would stop by. He sighed and went back to reading Marks's report about his investigation into a group of notorious wand thieves in Wales. He'd have to have yet another talk with Marks about proper case filing procedure given that his reports were still leaving half of the details out.

He threw the file to the side and checked his watch again. Ron should have gotten back from Paris by now. He must be taking his time to unpack and get settled, which was was all well and good, but Harry had been stuck here starving while waiting for everyone else to show up. He was ready to eat his hand at this point, and suddenly wondered if he should bother trolling the kitchen for something to tide him over. Luckily, a sudden knock at the front door made that decision for him.

He pointed his wand at the door. "It's open!"

"Do you ever lock your door?" Hermione asked as she and Ron entered. Their faces pink from the cold.

"Most of them," Harry said as he stood to greet them, "but Ginny left earlier and must have left it open. I haven't left the house all day."

"Where'd she go?" Ron asked, taking off his cloak and hanging it on a nearby hook.

"Um, to Holyhead to visit with her team's Healer," he said. "She hasn't been feeling well and all the home remedies haven't been working."

"Is she okay?" Hermione asked, sounding concerned as she handed him the bottle of wine she had promised to bring.

"It comes and goes," he said as he sat back down. "We're not worried. She just thinks she should get checked out before the season starts up again so that she doesn't get sick and have to miss anything." He smiled at Ron. "And you're back!"

He smiled. "And for good."

"It's not as if I didn't just see you last month," Harry said, "but it's good that you're officially back in all. None of this every other month popping into town crap."

"You can say that again," Hermione said as she sat down on the sofa. "If I don't have to take another Portkey to Paris, it'll be too soon."

Harry grinned. He was happy to see the two of them together again. Not that he hadn't seen them sporadically over the last six months as they tried their best to shuttle themselves back and forth across England and France to see each other, but it had to be a nice feeling to finally have each other back in the same place again. With Ron's work load as heavy as it was in Paris, and Hermione's transfer to into Magical Law Enforcement keeping her busier than ever, they hadn't had the chance to see each other in ages. Ron finally coming home had been all Hermione had talked about for the last two weeks.

"So," Harry asked as he sat down across from them, "where have you guys been all afternoon?" He glanced at Ron. "I thought your Portkey got in around four? I figured you'd be over here around five and it's," he checked his watch, "almost seven now."

"It did get in around four," Ron said as he sat next to Hermione.

"So?"

Ron gave Hermione a silly smile before turning back towards Harry. "I mean, I just got back, Harry. We hadn't seen each other in a month. We were," he gave Harry and obvious look, "you know, _busy_."

"Oh, Ron," Hermione said in an embarrassed tone. "You couldn't just say we were unpacking or something?"

"He doesn't care," Ron said.

"But I do," she said, glancing at Harry and shaking her head. She was blushing ever so slightly.

"I probably should have been able to figure that one out," Harry said before he stood up. "I mean, if Ginny and I went that long apart, I'd probably want to--"

Ron made a face. "Please don't finish that sentence."

"I was going to say, that I'd want to spend as much time alone with her as possible," Harry clarified. "Trust me, mate. I've got my limits on what I'm willing to talk to you about."

Ron smiled. "And I'm happier for it."

"Oh, Harry!" Hermione said, sitting forward. "Did you read the _Daily Prophet_ today?"

He pursed his lips and sighed wearily. "Is there something about me in there?

"Probably," she said with a shrug, just as Ron draped his arm over the couch behind her. "When is there not? But that's not what I meant."

Harry turned and saw the day's paper sitting untouched on the end table. "Should I be worried?"

"For the future of wizard kind, perhaps," Ron said sarcastically as Hermione leaned back against him. "But that's only if they decide to procreate."

"What?" asked Harry curiously. He reached out and grabbed the paper and began flipping through it.

"The society section," Hermione said as she and Ron observed him. "You can't miss it. I don't even have to tell you, you'll just know."

Harry flipped the paper over onto the section in question and stared at the picture that met his face. It wasn't large, but he now knew exactly what Hermione had meant when she said he'd know it when he saw it.

"Malfoy's getting married?" Harry asked. He made a face and continued to read over the engagement announcement.

"And announcing it to the world apparently," Ron mumbled.

"It's so like his parents to go straight to the papers," Hermione said.

"Astoria Greengrass?" Harry mumbled. "Why does that name sound familiar?"

"I asked the same question and Hermione said I was being dense," Ron said, throwing Hermione a smug look.

"Her older sister was in our year at school," she said obviously. "Daphne?"

Neither Harry nor Ron seemed to find this information helpful.

"She was in Slytherin?"

They both stared at each other before shaking their heads in a clueless manner.

"Oh, honestly..." she said, rolling her eyes at the pair of them.

"Hey, Harry," Ron said, leaning forward to look over the picture with him. "Do you think Malfoy's losing his hair?"

"Here we go again," Hermione muttered, though Harry pulled the picture up to his face to get a closer look. "Ron's convinced he's balding."

"He might be," Harry said with a smirk.

"You two are just looking for any sort of fault," she said before she stood up and walked over to where Harry had placed the bottle of wine she had brought. She started to inspect it. "I hope this kind is okay."

"What?" said Harry in a clearly uninterested tone as he and Ron continued to scan the picture for any indication that Malfoy may be losing his hair. "Oh, yeah, she'll like it fine."

She smiled. "You're both idiots," she said as she walked into the kitchen and reappeared with glasses and a corkscrew. Just as she began pouring for the three of them, the front door opened and Ginny appeared. She looked exhausted.

"You're home," Harry said, finally looking up from the paper. "Where have you been?"

She smiled meekly as she took in the scene in her living room. "Sorry, I got caught up in Holyhead with some things."

"Everything is okay, right?" he asked.

"Um, yeah," she said rather quickly as she smiled at her brother. "Hey, Ron, you're back."

"That I am," he said as Hermione handed him a glass of wine.

Ginny glanced from him to Hermione before smiling. "And you two are together," she said happily. "How cute."

"Yeah, Gin, it hasn't been months or anything," Ron said sarcastically. Hermione merely smiled.

"I know, but now you're properly together," she said. "It was never quite right when the two of you only ever saw each other once a month, or whatever it was while you were away."

"We worked through it," Hermione said as she gave Ron a quick rub on the back.

"And things are good?" she asked.

Ron and Hermione both smiled at each other before nodding.

She went to sit next to Harry on the couch. "I'm glad to hear it," Ginny said, letting out a heavy sigh.

"Hey, Ginny," Ron said as he held up the newspaper for her to look at. "Do you think Malfoy is losing his hair?"

"What?"

Hermione snatched the paper away from him. "Can we stop talking about Malfoy?"

"It's just funny," Ron said as he tried to hide a laugh.

"All right," Harry said as he picked up his wine glass and held it up. "Let's talk about something different. Cheers for Ron finally getting his shit together and getting back."

"I'll drink to that," Ron said as the entire group picked up their glasses and clanked them together, though Ginny immediately placed her glass back down without drinking anything.

"So, what's for dinner?" Hermione asked.

"Well," Harry said, glancing at Ginny. "We were going to cook, but it's getting late. We can go out?"

"That's fine," Hermione said as she, too, chanced a look at Ginny. She was staring into empty space and drumming her fingers anxiously on the sofa.

"You're sure everything is okay?" Harry asked her again. "You seem stressed."

She forced an awkward smile.

"You didn't have any problems at the Healer did you?" Hermione asked.

Ginny bit her lip tentatively and pushed herself to the edge of sofa. "Well, there's nothing wrong with me."

"That's great," Harry said with a smile. "That's a real relief. Now you don't have to worry about missing the start of the season."

"Yeah," she said as she began watching Harry's face intently. "Well, I mean, I won't miss the start of the season." She wavered. "I'm going to miss the entire season."

Ron and Hermione exchanged confused expressions, but Harry continued to stare at Ginny. "Why?"

She sighed and cast a hesitant look at Ron and Hermione.

"Do you want us to leave?" Hermione asked, looking at Ron before back at Ginny. "If this is private, we can--"

"No, it's okay…" Ginny sighed before turning back to Harry. "Might as well just get it out."

"Get what out?" Harry asked, growing more and more concerned by her odd behavior.

"It turns out I'm not ill," she said slowly.

"You said that already," said Ron. Hermione elbowed him to be quiet.

"Gin, what's wrong?" Harry asked.

She hesitated before finally swallowing hard and taking a very deep breath. "Harry, I'm pregnant..."

* * *

A/N: The End :)

Thanks for all your reviews!! I appreciated everyone of them!!


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